BANGKOK (AP) — Stronger Chinese manufacturing pushed the price of oil higher Thursday but gains were kept in check by plentiful supplies. Benchmark U.S. crude for December delivery was up 65 cents at $97.51 a barrel at midafternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.44 to $96.86 on Wednesday after the Energy Information Administration said U.S. oil inventories rose by 5.2 million barrels last week, a possible symptom of subdued demand and overproduction. The rise in stockpiles followed a 4 million barrel increase in the previous week. The price of crude has fallen about 5 percent over the past week to its lowest levels since June. But it got a lift Thursday from a survey that showed China’s manufacturing rose to a seven month high in October, suggesting continued momentum for the recovery in the world’s second-biggest economy. The preliminary version […]