NEW YORK, United States

OIL settled slightly higher yesterday ahead of a key vote in Greece on its financial crisis.

Benchmark West Texas Intermediate for July delivery rose 14 cents to settle at US$93.40 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was the last day of trading for the July contract and most of the trading had shifted to the August contract, which rose 54 cents to settle at US$94.17 per barrel. It was as high as US$95.10 a barrel before it retreated.

“What you’re seeing is a lot of nervous trading right now before this vote in Greece,” PFGBest analyst Phil Flynn said.

Greece’s embattled prime minister faced a crucial vote of confidence in parliament late yesterday. If the vote fails, it would throw into doubt whether Greece will implement new austerity measures required for the next US$17 billion in aid from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. If Greece defaults on its debt, the economies of other European countries could be affected as well.

US stock markets appeared convinced that Europe would work out its debt problems. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all rose for a second day.

In its weekly report, MasterCard SpendPulse said US gasoline demand at the pump fell for the 13th straight week, based on a four-week average, compared to a year ago.

Meanwhile, retail gasoline lost about a penny yesterday at US$3.637 per gallon (96 cents a litre), according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. Gasoline is 21.5 cents cheaper than a month ago, but it’s still 90 cents per gallon higher than the same time last year.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil gave up 4.20 cents to settle at US$2.8900 per gallon and gasoline futures lost 2.89 cents to settle at US$2.8826 per gallon. Natural gas added 7.1 cents at US$4.388 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude lost 74 cents to settle at US$110.95 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.