WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil futures rose slightly Thursday, staying in a narrow trading range amid conflicting reports about OPEC's suply quota plans.
Earlier in the week, a top Russian official said that it wants to extend its supply quota plan with OPEC beyond 2018.
However, other reports say Russian production may be rising as the Kremlin does not want to lose market share.
The U.S. oil boom, meanwhile, is in full effect, keeping oil prices in a range between $60-65 a barrel.
Nymex May oil futures settled 17 cents higher at $63.54 a barrel.
The report said initial jobless claims climbed to 242,000, an increase of 24,000 from the previous week's revised level of 218,000.
The Commerce Department on Thursday showed the U.S. trade deficit widened by more than anticipated in the month of February. The trade deficit widened to $57.6 billion in February from a revised $56.7 billion in January.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX