Crude oil futures moved higher on Friday on signs of bullish demand from China and the US. Chinese crude imports rose by roughly 1 million barrels a day in September to 9 million barrels a day, while US consumer sentiment and retail sales were up last month, data showed this morning. That eased investor concerns that global demand is set to weaken over the next year. Traders also got some support with Baker Hughes report that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil fell by 5 to 743 this week after posting a fall of 2 rigs last week.

Benchmark crude oil futures for November delivery ended higher by $0.85 or 1.7 percent at $51.45 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for November delivery added 0.63 cent to $56.88 a barrel on the ICE.

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