International oil prices rose by 1%, as investors worry about escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Hong Kong Radio reported that London Brent crude closed at $69.4 per barrel, up 60 cents, an increase of nearly 0.9%. New York crude was $64.63 per barrel, up 67 cents, a rise of over 1%. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. crude oil inventories increased by 8.53 million barrels last week, far exceeding market expectations of 793,000 barrels, marking the largest increase in a year.