Baker Hughes (BHI) (LUFK) (OIS) (GST) (AXAS) Trade Up on Weak U.S. Dollar

Shares of oil and oil related companies Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE:BHI), Lufkin Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUFK), Oil States Intl., Inc. (NYSE:OIS), Gastar Exploration Ltd (AMEX:GST) and Abraxas Petroleum Corp. (NASDAQ:AXAS) traded higher Wednesday after a report from the Energy Information Administration saying gas inventory was up less than expected and oil inventory was flat.

Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery was up $3.19, or 3.3 percent, to settle at $100.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Retail gasoline prices continued to fall, dropping almost 2 cents on Wednesday for a national average of $3.926 a gallon. Gasoline demand continues to fall in wake of high prices at the pump.

Heating oil for June increased 6.08 cents to settle at $2.9059 a gallon and gasoline futures jumped 3.62 cents to settle at $2.9555 a gallon. Natural gas gained 2 cents at $4.266 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Brent crude rose $2.31 in London, or 2.1 percent, to settle at $112.30 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the dollar against a basket of six currencies, traded at 75.438, down a little from 75.441 late Tuesday. That was also a factor in oil prices going up, as well as other commodity prices as well.

The euro traded at $1.4233, strengthening after falling to $1.4193 and up slightly from its $1.4219 close on Tuesday.

Traders bought commodities, including oil, on the weaker greenback.

Abraxas Petroleum Corp. (AXAS) closed Wednesday at $4.08, gaining $0.30, or 7.94 percent.