Oil prices extend gains

London
Oil prices rose further on Thursday, extending the previous day´s gains on a drop in US crude inventories that offset disappointing growth data in the world´s biggest economy.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in June climbed 42 cents to $59 a barrel.
Brent North Sea crude for June delivery gained 0.34 cents to stand at $66.88 a barrel in London midday deals.
Inventories at the key US oil terminal hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, reported its first decline since late November, US data showed on Wednesday.
Signs of cutbacks in US oil output, a key factor in the global supply glut that has driven prices to plunge by as much as 60 percent since June last year, were also supporting prices, according to analysts. But the Commerce Department noted the US expanding at an annual pace of just 0.2 percent, much slower than the 1.0 percent growth expected by analysts.