Oil futures tallied a sixth straight session climb on Thursday, their longest streak of gains since February. Prices extended their gains after posting a loss last week, “helped by the weakness in the U.S. dollar and optimism that a more benign inflation outlook will help to mitigate concerns over a sharp slowdown in the coming months,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. The U.S. benchmark WTI crude for February delivery CLG23 rose 98 cents, or 1.3%, to settle at $78.39 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
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