NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Oil prices reached their highest in more than two years on Tuesday, buoyed by expectations demand will recover rapidly in the second half of 2021. Brent crude rose 77 cents, or 1.1%, to $73.63 a barrel by 11:19 a.m. EDT (1519 GMT). The global benchmark during the session hit $73.90 a barrel, its highest since April 2019. U.S. oil rose 86 cents, or 1.2%, to $71.74 a barrel. It hit a session high of $72.03 a barrel, its highest since October 2018.