Oil prices steady ahead of US data expected to show gasoline stocks fell

Oil prices were steady Wednesday as traders awaited the release of a U.S. government report expected to show gasoline inventories fell last week _ a bullish indicator offset by continuing concerns about the U.S. economy.

Light, sweet crude for May delivery was up by 11 cents at US$108.61 a barrel by afternoon in European electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 59 cents to settle at US$108.50 a barrel Tuesday.

Brent crude futures slipped by 17 cents Wednesday to US$106.17 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange in London.

Oil prices have been supported recently by a growing belief that U.S. gasoline supplies are falling as the summer driving season in the Northern Hemisphere approaches.

Last week, the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said gasoline inventories fell more than expected during the week ended March 28. It was expected to report later Wednesday that gasoline stockpiles fell another 2.3 million barrels last week, according to a Dow Jones Newswires survey of analysts.

Analysts say refiners have cut back on gasoline production due to low profit margins. The rising price of crude means it costs refiners more to turn the raw product into motor fuel. The EIA was also expected to report that refinery use rose 0.7 percentage point to 83.1 percent of capacity, the survey showed.

Still, worries about the U.S. economy _ with the possibility of less demand for oil and oil products _ kept a low ceiling on prices.

"Demand, as gauged by first quarter economic indicators, is less than rosy as consumer confidence erodes thanks to falling housing values and a retrenchment in the jobs market," wrote Stephen Schork in his Schork Report of the medium-term outlook.

The EIA report was also expected to show crude oil stocks rose 2.4 million barrels. Stocks of distillates, which include heating oil and diesel fuel, were expected to fall 1.2 million barrels, the survey showed.

Crude stocks rose by an unexpected 7.3 million barrels in the week ended March 28. And although theoretically rising oil supplies could undermine prices, crude futures have been driven higher recently by weakness in the dollar and speculative buying by investors who believe rising demand overseas will keep sending commodity values skyward.

The U.S. Energy Department on Tuesday raised its forecast for the average price of crude in 2008, citing global demand and low surplus production capacity. The EIA, in its monthly report on petroleum supplies and demand, raised earlier price projections for crude oil, saying that the benchmark West Texas Intermediate contract would average US$101 per barrel in 2008.

The agency had earlier predicted prices would average US$94.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil futures were down by less then a cent at US$3.107 a gallon (3.8 liters,) while gasoline was up by over a penny, selling for US$2.7615 a gallon. Natural gas futures rose nearly 30 cents to US$9.995 per 1,000 cubic feet.

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Associated Press Writer Gillian Wong contributed to this report from Singapore.