Baker Hughes on Friday reported that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil was up by four at 356 this week, following increases in each of the previous two weeks. The total active U.S. rig count, which includes those drilling for natural gas, also climbed by two to stand at 455, according to Baker Hughes. July West Texas Intermediate crude continued to trade higher for the session. The contract was up $1.69, or 2.7%, to $63.63 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.