Oil gains as US growth beats expectations

World oil prices rose Tuesday as strong US economic data sparked a round of buying in the beaten-down commodity. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February delivery rose $1.86 to $57.12 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The Commerce Department said US gross domestic product rose 5.0 percent in the third quarter, up from the 3.9 percent previously estimated and better than the 4.3 percent of leading analysts. Oil prices have fallen about 50 percent since June on mounting suppli