Brent crude surged to its highest in more than two years as Turkey threatened to shut down Kurdish oil shipments through its territory.Futures climbed 3.8 percent in London, and the US benchmark rose to the highest since April. Turkey can choose to “close the valves” on oil exports from Kurdistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said as the Iraqi region holds an independence referendum.
The yen declined as havens retreated after the worst-case scenarios for North Korea and hurricanes in the US didn’t eventuate, while stocks inched higher in Asia following a record-breaking Wall Street session.Futures on the S&P 500 Index advanced with equities in Australia and South Korea. Japan markets are closed for a holiday on Monday.
Oil had its biggest weekly gain since late July as Texas refineries recovering from Hurricane Harvey processed more crude and global demand forecasts brightened.Futures rose 5.1 percent this week in New York, settling just below the 50-dollar-a-barrel threshold that’s kept the industry in thrall.
Oil headed for a second weekly gain on forecasts for accelerating crude demand and as US Gulf Coast refineries continued to recover from Hurricane Harvey.Futures were little changed in New York, up 4.8 percent for the week, after trading Thursday above 50 dollars for the first time in five weeks and closing at the highest since July.
