Signs of growing U.S. fuel demand are propping up oil above $49 a barrel, with more refinery purchases seen helping ease a glut in American crude stockpiles. Futures in New York were holding gains after rising 2.4 percent Wednesday, when U.S. government data showed that gasoline inventories dropped more than expected. Additionally, refineries boosted the amount of crude they processed by the most in almost three years. That helped overshadow a gain in American output and stockpiles that have undermined production curbs this year by OPEC and its partners. While U.S. crude inventories rose last week, they increased by less than they were expected to, signaling that more oil is being pulled out of storage. That optimism and an unexpected disruption in Libyan production has helped drive prices 3.7 percent over the past two sessions, in their longest stretch of gains in more than a month. They had slid […]