Baker Hughes on Friday reported that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil was up by eight at 373 this week. That marked a second weekly rise in a row. Last week, the oil rig count rose by six. The total active U.S. rig count, which includes those drilling for natural gas, rose by nine to stand at 470, according to Baker Hughes. July West Texas Intermediate crude continued to trade higher for the session. The contract was up 60 cents, or 0.8%, to $71.64 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

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