Brent oil futures climbed above $50 a barrel on Thursday for the first time in nearly seven months, boosted after U.S. government figures showed a sharper-than-expected drawdown in crude stocks last week.
Buoyant stock markets also supported prices, with the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite all climbing overnight.
Brent had climbed 31 cents to $50.05 a barrel by 0225 GMT, its highest since Nov. 4. It ended the previous session up $1.13, or 2.3 percent.
