Oil rises over $114 as dollar falls

Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:31pm BST
 
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 1.5 percent on Tuesday as part of a broad commodities rebound triggered by weakness in the U.S. dollar.

U.S. crude gained $1.66, or 1.47 percent, to settle at $114.53 a barrel while London Brent crude rose $1.31 to $113.25 a barrel.

"On crude, trend-line support is holding and the dollar is exhausted and falling," said Mark Waggoner, president of Excel Futures in Huntington Beach, California.

Gold and other commodities also pushed higher.

A weak dollar helps boost commodities prices by raising the purchasing power of buyers using other currencies.

The dollar index dropped 0.4 percent Tuesday in its worst one-day fall since mid-July.

Crude's gains reversed losses earlier in the day as Tropical Storm Fay moved inland in Florida, sparing offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil prices are down more than 20 percent since the July 11 peak over $147 a barrel, pulled lower by concerns over a global slowdown in energy demand.

Venezuela's oil minister told Reuters on Tuesday the OPEC-member nation could recommend the cartel cut production if oil prices keep falling.  Continued...

 
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