Oil above $85 on signs US economy improving

Oil prices gained above $85 a barrel Monday in Asia as growing investor optimism about the U.S. economy boosted equity and commodity prices.

Benchmark crude for May delivery was up 16 cents to $85.28 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.42 to settle at $85.12 on Friday.

Oil prices have bobbed around the $85 a barrel for about three weeks, holding gains after a jump from $69 in February amid signs the U.S. economy is improving.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.6 percent Friday, and most Asian stock indices gained on Monday, led by a 2.2 percent jump in Japan and an advance of 1.7 percent in Hong Kong.

Oil traders often look to equity markets as a barometer of overall investor sentiment.

"The economic health of the U.S. is getting better," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with consultancy Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. "The positive economic data has supported the increasing confidence among investors, and that's bullish for oil."

Despite growing corporate earnings, the unemployment rate remains high and U.S. crude demand hasn't yet recovered strongly.

"Crude inventories are still very high," Shum said. "Oil prices would be a lot lower than $85 if you worried about fundamentals."

In other Nymex trading in May contracts, heating oil rose 1.15 cent to $2.262 a gallon, and gasoline increased 1.19 cents to $2.365 a gallon. Natural gas jumped 5.6 cents to $4.313 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude was up 17 cents at $87.42 on the ICE futures exchange.