Crude futures close mixed as US dollar strengthens

摘要

New York—Crude futures settled in mixed territory Thursday after a US unemployment report led NYMEX crude higher and a rising dollar sent ICE Brent lower. NYMEX February crude settled 14 cents higher at $48.79/b. The futures contract range between $47.73/b and $49.65/b. ICE February Brent flirted with $50/b, a mark the front-month contract has not closed below since April 2009. February Brent ended down 19 cents at $50.96/b. The difference between ICE Brent and NYMEX crude narrowed 33 cents to $2.17/b. The ICE Brent-NYMEX crude spread has been shrinking since December 18 when the gap stood at $5.16/b.