Crude-oil futures were slightly higher in Asian trading hours Monday after last week’s sharp rally and as markets assessed the outlook for weather-driven oil demand in the U.S. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light, sweet crude futures for delivery in April traded at $102.52 a barrel at 0608 GMT, up $0.32 in the Globex electronic session. April Brent crude on London’s ICE Futures exchange rose $0.22 to $110.07 a barrel. Nymex WTI crude has risen for six consecutive weeks and is up around 4% year-to-date, while Brent crude has rallied for three consecutive weeks and is down around 1% year-to-date. Earlier Monday, Chinese oil and oil-product stockpiles showed a sharp increase, confirming market assessments that cited a build-up in stockpiles as the reason for China’s high oil imports last month. China’s commercial crude-oil inventories in January rose 3.57% from a month earlier, while oil-product stocks rose 10.92%, according […]