LONDON—Oil prices rose on Friday and were on track for their second straight weekly gain, as resilient demand resulted in a larger-than-expected fall in U.S. oil stockpiles, offsetting fears of higher U.S. interest rates.
Brent crude futures were up 36 cents, or 0.5 percent, at $76.88 a barrel at 1114 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 35 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $72.15 a barrel.
Both benchmarks were set to gain over 2 percent on the week.
Brent’s six-month backwardation, where nearby contracts trade above later ones indicating supply tightness, has risen sharply in recent sessions and touched a one-month high on Friday….