NEW YORK, March 5 (UPI) -- Equity markets moved higher in Asia and Europe Friday, giving support to commodities, including oil, which topped $81 per barrel in New York.
A bond issue in Greece that surpassed expectations reassured investors that the government's debt could be brought under control. Also in Europe, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said composite leading indicators for the OECD area rose 0.8 percent in January.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, oil prices rose $1.16 to $81.37 in overnight trading. Heating oil prices added 0.0187 to $2.0874 per gallon. Reformulated gasoline prices rose 0.0287 cents to $2.2624 per gallon. Henry Hub Natural gas prices rose 0.031 cents to $4.606 per million British thermal units.
At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline was $2.72 per gallon, up from Thursday's $2.706, AAA said.
