Oil Futures Continue To Rise, Gain 4.7% To Settle At 5-week High

Crude oil prices rose sharply on Friday, continuing to find support from the OPEC+ decision earlier this week to cut output by 2 million barrels per day from November.

Russia also reiterated this week that it won’t sell oil to countries that adopt a U.S.-led price cap, adding to supply uncertainty.

West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for November ended higher by $4.19 or about 4.7% at $92.64 a barrel, settling at a 5-week high.

WTI crude futures gained as much as 16.5% in the week.

Brent crude futures were up $3.70 or 3.93% at $98.12 a barrel a little while ago.

A report from Baker Hughes today showed the oil rig count in the U.S. dropped by two to 602 this week. The number of rigs drilling for gas fell by one to 158.

Meta Warns Users Of Over 400 Android And IOS Apps That Steal Facebook Login Information

Meta Platforms Inc. (META), parent company of Facebook, has warned its social network users about apps that target people across the internet to steal their Facebook login information.

Meta has shared a list of more than 400 malicious Android and iOS apps, that were listed on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store and disguised as photo editors, games, VPN services, business apps and other utilities to trick people into downloading them.

The apps often require users to “Log In with Facebook” before they can access the promised features. But these login features are merely a means of stealing Facebook users’ account info.

The company said it has reported its findings to Apple and Google and are helping potentially impacted people to learn more about how to stay safe and secure their accounts.

According to Engadget, Apple and Google both confirmed that all of the apps identified by Meta had been removed from their respective app stores.

“All of the apps identified in the report are no longer available on Google Play,” A Google spokesperson said in a statement. “Users are also protected by Google Play Protect, which blocks these apps on Android.”

Body found in the High Line Canal in Denver under homicide investigation

The death of a man outdoors in Denver is being investigated as a homicide, police said.

The body was found in the High Line Canal in the area of Picadilly Road and Green Valley Ranch Boulevard, police said in a 12:07 p.m. Friday tweet.

A 3:29 p.m. police announced that the incident is being investigated as a homicide. The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner will release the identity of the victim along with an official cause and manner of death.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 (STOP).

Average two-year fixed mortgage rate highest in 14 years

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Moneyfacts.co.uk yesterday revealed that this was an increase on 6.11 percent on Thursday and 6.07 percent on Wednesday. The average five-year fixed-rate mortgage also rose to 6.07 percent, having been 6.02 percent on Thursday and 5.97 percent on Wednesday.

Across the market, the choice of mortgage products is gradually increasing after contracting sharply last week.

Moneyfacts counted 2,533 products yesterday, up from 2,430 on Thursday. This is still down from 3,961 on the day of the recent mini-budget.

Rachel Springall, a finance expert at Moneyfacts, said: “Consumers must carefully consider whether now is the right time to buy a home or to wait and see how things change in the coming weeks.”

Property expert Jonathan Rolande said: “The rental market is still very strong. It is likely that it will be tenants who bear the brunt of the rate rise via increased rents.”

‘The Cash Monster Was Insatiable’: How Insurers Exploited Medicare for Billions

By next year, half of Medicare beneficiaries will have a private Medicare Advantage plan. Most large insurers in the program have been accused in court of fraud.

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