New York's main contract, WTI light sweet crude for delivery in March gained 35 cents to $95.58 a barrel in the afternoon while Brent North Sea crude for March delivery dropped three cents to $112.77. "Traders have been moving from Brent to WTI," said Jason Hughes, head of premium client management at IG markets Singapore. Sentiment was given a boost by data from British bank HSBC Thursday showing China's manufacturing activity in January hitting a two-year high. HSBC's preliminary purchasing managers' index (PMI) climbed to 51.9 in January, its highest level since January 2011, and up from last month's 51.5. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the key sector, while one below signals contraction. Qu Hongbin, a Hong Kong-based economist with HSBC, said: "Thanks to the continuous gains in new business, manufacturers accelerated production by additional hiring and more purchases. "Despite the still tepid external demand, the domestic-driven re-stocking process is likely to add steam to China's ongoing recovery in the coming months."