Oil prices close at 2-1/2 year peak

Oil prices in New York jumped to a two-and-a-half year high Tuesday and briefly topped $60 a barrel due to a Libyan pipeline explosion and frigid weather in the US. The benchmark US contract, West Texas Intermediate for February delivery, rose $1.50 to $59.97 a barrel after earlier breaching $60 for the first time since June 2015.