Oil futures close at highest level in 28 months Prices reclaim $110 on rising Syria tensions, weak U.S. jobs data

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-tops-109-adds-to-gain-after-jobs-report-2013-09-06

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Oil futures settled higher on Friday as traders took in a weaker-than-expected jobs report and as the conflict over Syria intensified, lifting prices back above $110 a barrel to their highest close in 28 months.

Oil for October delivery CLV3 -0.57%  advanced $2.16, or 2%, to settle at $110.53 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after touching a high at $110.70. Prices closed 2.7% higher for the week.

China’s position on Syria

World leaders gathering for a summit remained divided over whether to back punitive military strikes against the Syrian regime.

Friday’s settlement was the highest for a front-month contract since May 3, 2011. Prices had more recently topped $110 on Aug. 28, when they closed at $110.10.

On Thursday, the contract gained 1.1% as a weekly government report roughly matched expectations for crude supplies.

Oil prices are likely to climb further as the conflict in Syria “morphs into a multi-country standoff,” Jeffrey Sica, president and chief investment officer of Sica Wealth Management, said in a recent email.

“The staring contest between Russian and U.S. ships in the Mediterranean is accomplishing nothing to stabilize the situation,” he said. “The greater the likelihood of a broad-based conflict, the more oil will surge.”

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