OIL FUTURES: Crude Settles +2.5% At $63.56, Aided By Stocks

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Crude-oil futures prices rose for a third day Friday, spurred by gains in equities amid fresh hopes of signs of economy recovery.

Light, sweet crude oil for August delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 2.5%, or $1.54, to settle at $63.56 a barrel, the highest level since July 6. Early in the week, crude was in the midst of a sell-off stretching for nine of the previous 10 days, slashing prices to a near-two-month low at just above $58 a barrel. link....