Oil Futures Mark Sixth Straight Session Gain

Oil futures rose on Thursday, marking a sixth session gain in a row, to finish at a fresh high for the year. A smaller-than-expected weekly increase in U.S. crude supplies reported a day earlier was seen as a sign of a slowdown in the nation's oil production. May crude settled at $56.71 a barrel, up 32 cents, or 0.6%, on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices climbed 5.8% on Wednesday.