Crude oil rose in New York before a report that may show U.S. refinery production will pick up too late to satisfy peak demand. An attack on a Nigerian pipeline helped push prices higher. Crude oil for July delivery was at $63.55 a barrel, up 40 cents, in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude oil for July settlement was at $68.39 a barrel, up 29 cents, today on the London-based ICE Futures exchange.

Gold for immediate delivery in London gained 60 cents, or 0.1%, to $657.45 an ounce, while silver dropped 2.5 cents to $13.16 an ounce.

Currencies

The euro was down slightly against the U.S. dollar Wednesday following an unexpected rise in U.S. consumer confidence. The euro bought $1.3434 in morning European trading, down from $1.3453 in New York late Tuesday. The British pound slipped to $1.9783 from $1.9800, while the dollar edged up to 121.59 Japanese yen from 121.55 yen.