West Texas Intermediate crude reached a three-week high as U.S. consumer spending rose in February by the most in three months. Brent gained on concern that tension in Ukraine will escalate. WTI advanced for the fifth time in six days. Household purchases, which account for almost 70 percent of the economy, climbed 0.3 percent, the Commerce Department said. Russia massed troops along the Ukraine border after annexing Crimea and rejected a United Nations resolution condemning that takeover. “The market’s taking the consumer spending number positively,” said Paul Crovo, a Philadelphia-based oil analyst at PNC Capital Advisors. “The economy will continue to forge ahead. There is a lot of concern about what’s going on in Ukraine and Russia’s possible incursions.” WTI for May delivery rose 39 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $101.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange , the highest settlement since March 7. Trading was 33 […]