The attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman have caused crude oil prices to surge in New York.

The benchmark West Texas Intermediate Crude futures jumped over 4 percent at one point on Thursday.

Investors are worried that rising tensions in the Middle East could destabilize oil supplies.

New York stock prices also gained as investors bought shares in oil-related companies.

The Dow Jones Average ended about 0.4 percent higher. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was up 0.6 percent.

Analysts say investors are expecting the trade friction between the US and China to put a damper on demand for crude oil, which has held prices in check.

NHK