LONDON (ShareCast) - Oil futures rallied to the 94 dollar a barrel mark on Thursday following stronger than expected China exports data.
Data showed China's December trade surplus recovered sharply to £19.5bn, way above expectations for a £12.3bn surplus. Exports rose 14.1% from a year earlier.
The February futures contract closed up 0.97% at $94.00 a barrel.
Natural gas also gained, up 2.57% to $3.19 per million British thermal units, while unleaded gas climbed 0.62% to end the session at $2.80 per gallon.
Heating oil went the other way, settling down 0.58% to $3.05 a gallon.
In metals, the Chinese data also had a positive effect, pushing gold up 1.36% to $1,678 per troy ounce.
Other metals also put in a decent performance, with silver 2.21% higher, platinum up 2.14%, and copper rising 1.05%.
NR
Credit cards
0% balance transfers up to 26 months, 0% purchases up to 16 months - compare 200+ credit cards insta … More »Credit cards