Hedge funds and money managers raised their bullish wagers on U.S. crude for a third straight week, data showed on Friday, amid signs that oversupply in the United States may be easing as stockpiles draw down. The speculator group raised its combined futures and options position in two major NYMEX and ICE markets by 36,267 contracts to 238,673 in the week to July 18, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed. Money managers raised their gross long positions to the highest level since late April, the data showed, while gross short positions dropped to the lowest level since early June. U.S. oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped by about 3 percent and averaged $45.92 per barrel during […]