Oil prices rose above $68 a barrel Monday in Asia as a rally fueled by an improving economic and corporate outlook extended into a third week, The Associated Press reported. Benchmark crude for September delivery was up 52 cents to $68.57 a barrel by late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Friday, the contract rose 89 cents to settle at $68.05. In other Nymex trading, gasoline for August delivery rose 2.01 cents to $1.94 a gallon and heating oil gained 1.86 cents to $1.80. Natural gas for August delivery fell 6.8 cents to $3.63 per 1,000 cubic feet. In London, Brent prices rose 52 cents to $70.84 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.