Oil prices rose on Thursday as the equities markets rallied and as market participants weighed a rise in U.S. crude inventories and production against continued OPEC supply curbs. WTI’s discount to Brent WTCLc1-LCOc1 has grown to more than $5 a barrel, the biggest since January, making Brent-linked crudes less attractive to refiners than U.S. oil. Prices for the more actively traded June Brent crude futures LCOc2 were up 32 cents at $69.05 by 11:52 a.m. EDT, while the May contract LCOc1 expiring on Thursday was up 35 cents at $69.88. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 gained 37 cents to $64.75. Oil has risen about 4 percent since January, on track for the longest stretch of quarterly gains since late 2010. “The […]