NYMEX crude steady above $105 a barrel

SYDNEY, March 10 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures held above
$105 a barrel after climbing to another all-time record of
above $106 in the previous session.

* NYMEX crude for April delivery CLc1 rose 15 cents to
$105.30 a barrel in Globex electronic trading by 2215 GMT.

It settled 32 cents lower at $105.15 on Friday, after
jumping to a lifetime high of $106.54 a barrel, the highest
level since the exchange launched crude oil futures in 1983.

* One of Mexico's three main crude oil ports remained
closed to shipping for a third successive day as bad weather
continued in the Gulf of Mexico, the government said on Sunday.
Mexico is the world's No. 9 exporter of crude oil and is a top
three supplier to the United States. [ID:nN09486576]

* Easing tensions between OPEC member Venezuela, a top oil
exporter to the United States, and neighbour Colombia, kept oil
price gains in check.

The presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela ended a
border dispute on Friday, after a week of regional diplomacy in
the face of hostile rhetoric and troop buildups.
[ID:nN07277818]

* Oil's surge to above $106 on Friday was helped by a
weakening U.S. dollar, which fell after a government report
showed a second straight month of contractions in U.S.
payrolls. But a rebound in the dollar helped to ease oil off
earlier highs.

* Crude speculators on the New York Mercantile Exchange
hiked net long positions last week, according to data from the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission released Friday.

Net crude long positions rose to 99,539 in the week to
March 4, up from 91,625 in the week March 4.

To read the previous day's closing report click on [O/R]

To read the previous technical report click on [O/I]

Diary of upcoming energy news and events [O/DIARY]

Oil prices as of 2215 GMT
Contract Mnth Price Change Day ago pct MA-20*
NYMEX Contracts
US Crude APR8 $105.30 +0.15 -$0.32 -0.30% $99.07
Heat Oil APR8 295.38 +0.68 -2.63 -0.88% 276.24
RBOB APR8 269.78 +0.35 +4.11 +1.55% 252.47
Natgas APR8 $9.847 +0.078 +$0.027 +0.28% $9.057
ICE Contracts
Brent APR8 -- +0.00 -$0.23 -0.22% $97.78
Gasoil MAR8 -- +0.00 +$7.50 +0.78% $894.44
Note: U.S. heating oil and RBOB gasoline contracts listed in
cents per gallon.
* = 20-day moving average for continuation month.

(Reporting by Fayen Wong)