Oil prices rose more than a dollar to 2015 highs on Wednesday, as a month-long rally gained further impetus from a fall in U.S. crude stocks and conflict in the Middle East. Brent crude jumped by $1.36 to $68.88 a barrel by 0855 GMT, after hitting a 2015 peak of $69.14. U.S. crude traded $1.51 higher at $61.91 a barrel, near an intraday high of $62.05. “We haven’t seen hedge funds and money managers to be as optimistic and bullish as they are currently,” said Vyanne Lai, an oil analyst with National Australia Bank. “They are at their most bullish since July last year, when the oil market fundamentals haven’t really changed that much.” Industry group the American Petroleum Institution (API) said on Tuesday that U.S. crude oil stocks fell for the first time this year, giving a lift to oil prices. The API said that […]