OIL OPTION-Open interest up at $75 calls, but dips at $80

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CALLS PUTS
STRIKE OPEN INTEREST PRICE STRIKE OPEN INTEREST PRICE
$40 0 $0.00 $40 30,247 $0.01
$45 125 $27.54 $45 18,946 $0.01
$50 4,223 $25.54 $50 26,944 $0.01
$55 9,261 $17.54 $55 19,323 $0.01
$60 12,550 $12.55 $60 12,499 $0.01
$65 9,981 $7.59 $65 7,516 $0.07
$70 8,832 $3.09 $70 3,634 $0.65
$75 13,467 $0.54 $75 166 $3.39
$80 15,881 $0.03 $80 157 $7.98

UNDERLYING FUTURES CONTRACT
July WTI futures CLN9 $72.04; open interest: 152,156
(Settlement price for June 12, open interest as of June 11)
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NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) - As front-month crude oil
futures topped $73 a barrel this week, hitting their highest
price in nearly eight months, open interest positions rose from
the previous week at the $75 July call options but edged down
at the $80 level, according to Reuters data on Friday.

Open interests were down just slightly from the previous
week at the $40, $45, and $50 in put options, the data showed.

Open interest at the July $75 call option rose to 13,467,
from 12,953 a week ago. But at the $80 call, open interest
dipped slightly to 15,881, from 15,957 a week ago.

Open interest at the $50 put option was down a bit, at
26,944, from 27,056 in the previous week. For the $45 put, open
interest was little changed at 18,946, from 18,958 a week ago.
The $40 put options, at $30,247, were almost unchanged from the
previous week's 30,256 total.

As of Thursday, open interest in July put options stood at
258,277, up from 246,797 last Thursday. Open interest in July
call options dropped to 180,757 from 190,919 the week before.
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U.S. crude oil futures settled lower on Friday as the
dollar's rebound directed investment flow away from
commodities, at least for the moment, and as traders took
pre-weekend profits, snapping a three-day rally.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, July crude oil CLN9
ended down 64 cents, or 0.88 percent, at $72.04 a barrel,
trading from $70.80 to $72.63.

On Thursday, the contract settled at $72.68, the highest
close since Oct. 20's $74.25, after hitting $73.23, the highest
intrday price since Oct. 21's $75.69.

NYMEX July crude options expire on June 17 and the July
crude contract expires on June 22.

For reports on NYMEX oil futures trading click on [O/N] or
[O/R].

NYMEX crude oil speculators extended their net long
positions in the week to June 9, according to data from the
U.S. Commodity Futures Commission released on Friday.

Speculators increased net long positions to 47,883 during
teh week, up from 39,687 in the week to June 2 on optimism that
oil demand could increase with a turnaround in the economy.
[ID:nN1280721]]
(Reporting by Gene Ramos; Editing by Christian Wiessner)