U.S. energy firms this week added oil and natural gas rigs for the first time in 10 weeks, due to the biggest weekly increase in gas rigs since October 2016, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said in its closely followed report on Friday.
(Adds Permian rig count in paragraph 6)
Jan 15 (Reuters) - U.S. energy firms this week added oil and natural gas rigs for an eighth week in a row as crude prices recover to their highest in nearly a year.
The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose 13 to 373 in the week to Jan. 15, its highest since May, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said in its closely followed report on Friday. RIG-USA-BHIRIG-OL-USA-BHIRIG-GS-USA-BHI
Those eight weeks of additions were the most since November when the rig count climbed for nine weeks in a row. Despite gains in recent months, that count was still 423 rigs, or 53%, below this time last year.