Oil prices ended higher on Tuesday as data showed more U.S. companies got better results in the second quarter than people had expected. Caterpillar Inc. said on Tuesday that its second-quarter profit fell 66 percent. However, the major heavy equipment maker raised its full-year outlook, which proved to be very encouraging to investors. Meanwhile, chemical maker DuPont Co. and drug company Merck & Co. also reported drops in their quarterly profit, but their results were still not as bad as previously predicted. The better-than-forecast results so far have painted an upbeat picture for the whole economy and brought some optimism back into the market, pushing oil prices to rise for the fifth session. Light, sweet crude for August delivery rose 74 cents to settle at 64.72 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. As August contract expires on Tuesday, the more active September contract rose 32 cents to settle at 65.61 dollars a barrel. In London, Brent crude for September delivery rose 43 cents to settle at 66.87 dollars a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange. 