NYMEX-Crude edges towards $93 after Bernanke assurances
SINGAPORE, Feb 28 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures inched towards $93 a barrel on Thursday after the Federal Reserve reaffirmed its commitment to existing stimulus measures, while robust U.S. economic data also bolstered the outlook for demand in the world's largest energy consumer.
FUNDAMENTALS
* U.S. crude for April delivery had climbed 21 cents to $92.97 a barrel by 2325 GMT.
* U.S. business spending recorded its largest increase in just over a year in January. Orders for capital goods, excluding defence-related items and aircraft, jumped 6.3 percent, the biggest gain since December 2011.
* The U.S. jobless rate is unlikely to reach more normal levels for several years, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday as he again defended the central bank's forceful easing of monetary policy.
* Italy's borrowing costs rose to their highest in four months on Wednesday at the first bond auction since this week's inconclusive election but solid demand from domestic investors eased fears that the political deadlock could destabilize Europe's second-biggest sovereign debt market.
* Crude inventories in the United States rose by 1.1 million barrels in the week to Feb. 22, the Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report.
* Iran was upbeat on Wednesday after talks with world powers about its nuclear work ended with an agreement to meet again, but Western officials said it had yet to take concrete steps to ease their fears about its atomic ambitions.
MARKETS NEWS
* The euro held its ground against the U.S. dollar and yen on Thursday, with euro bulls taking heart after the relatively smooth auction of Italian government bonds helped ease worries about the country's inconclusive election.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0500 Japan Construction orders
0530 India Q3 GDP
0745 France Consumer spending
0855 Germany Unemployment rate
1330 U.S. Q4 GDP
1330 U.S. Weekly jobless claims
1445 U.S. Chicago PMI
(Reporting by Luke Pachymuthu; Editing by Joseph Radford)