Oil prices lifted by expected fall in U.S. inventories

By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil rose on Wednesday, driven by expectations for a decline in U.S. crude inventories and bringing price gains for December to 10 percent, which would be the strongest performance in the final month of the year in six years. Brent crude oil futures were up 32 cents on the day at $55.67 a barrel by 1217 GMT, while U.S. crude futures rose 30 cents to $53.60 a barrel. Brent's rally is its largest so far for any December since 2010, thanks to an unprecedented wave