Bloomberg Oil extended gains after weekly government data showed US inventories dropped to the lowest since February, trimming stockpiles at the highest seasonal level in at least three decades. November futures rose as much as 1.2 percent in New York after advancing 2.9 percent on Wednesday. Inventories fell by 6.2 million barrels last week, according to the Energy Information …

  Reuters The Saudi finance ministry has resumed payments to Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), the kingdom’s biggest construction firm, for its work on government projects, Saudi Okaz newspaper reported on Thursday, citing an adviser to the chairman. SBG was hard hit last year as low oil prices forced the government — its chief customer — to cancel or suspend projects …

  Bloomberg Now is the right time for OPEC to reach an agreement on oil output, and crude prices may fall if its members fail to take a decision when they meet next week in Algiers, Iraq’s governor to the producer group said. Conditions in the oil market are better than in April when members of the Organization of Petroleum …