Crude oil futures ended higher on Friday on strong economic data in Britain. The U.K. private sector expanded for the third successive month in April to the strongest level in a year, driven by a sharp upturn in the services economy. However, concerns about the U.S. economic outlook and interest rate uncertainty limited the uptick in oil prices.
Benchmark crude oil futures for June delivery rose $0.50 or 0.7 percent to settle at $77.87 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for June delivery surged $0.56 or 0.69 percent to settle at $81.66 a barrel on London's Intercontinental Exchange.