The price of oil rose Thursday after preliminary data showed China’s manufacturing activity expanded for the first time in 13 months, a positive sign for the global economy. Benchmark crude for January delivery was up 17 cents to $87.55 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 63 cents to finish at $87.38 a barrel on Wednesday. Oil prices were responding to the release of HSBC Corp.’s monthly Purchasing Managers’ Index for November, which showed a reading of 50.4 on a 100-point scale on which numbers over 50 indicate expansion. That was a moderate improvement from October’s 49.5 and boosted hopes that the world’s No. 2 economy was finally emerging from the deep slump it has been mired in since the 2008 financial crisis. Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, rose 3 cents to $110.89 a barrel in London. In other energy futures trading in New York:- Heating oil gained 3.3 cents to $3.081 a gallon.- Wholesale gasoline rose 0.4 cent to $2.724 a gallon.- Natural gas fell 6.7 cents to $3.899 per 1,000 cubic feet.