Oil Futures Trim Gains As U.S. Rig Count Declines By 2

Oil futures trimmed daily gains Thursday after oilfield-services firm Baker Hughes said the number of U.S. oil rigs fell by two in the week ended Dec. 31. The decline leaves the total number of U.S. oil rigs at 536, a total decline of 946 from the same time last year. West Texas Intermediate oil for February delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange was up 81 cents, or 2.2%, at $37.40 a barrel after earlier rising as high as $37.79. The U.S. benchmark remains on track for a 2015 loss of nearly 30%.

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