rises as U.S. stimulus hopes outweigh weak demand rose on Thursday as hopes that the White House would move quickly on an stimulus package outweighed flagging demand and rising in the world's top . U.S. crude settled 12 cents higher at $43.67 a barrel, after falling as low as $40.41 earlier. London Brent settled at $45.39 a barrel, up 37 cents. Earlier in the day, crude had dropped after a U.S. government report showed that crude , and distillate fuels rose last week as demand for fuels weakened again. The U.S. stock pared early losses after a spokesman said President Obama's administration is committed to moving as quickly as possible on an stimulus plan. "Crude is still resilient, despite the big build you have seen in the EIA data. I have a feeling that there will soon be a rebound in the stock and that will spill over to the s," said Mark Waggoner, president of Excel in Huntington Beach, . "In the last week, I've seen or confidence improving, with the new Obama administration now installed ... I feel that if this confidence continues, it will spill into more (consumer) buying and that will improve demand for and other s," he added. fell in early after U.S. Information Administration data showed that crude jumped 6.1 million barrels last week, well above expectations for a build of 1.4 million barrels.