WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Energy stocks have moved sharply higher during trading on Thursday, benefiting from a continued increase by the price of crude oil.
After rising as high as $64.77 a barrel, crude oil for February delivery gave back ground but still rose $0.23 to a three-year closing high of $63.80 a barrel.
Reflecting the strength in the energy sector, the Philadelphia Oil Service Index and the Natural Gas Index are both up by 2.3 percent and the NYSE Arca Oil & Gas Index is up by 1.8 percent.
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