U.S. crude futures edged up on Friday in choppy trading as a weaker dollar and stronger equities offset pressure from the International Energy Agency cutting its oil demand forecast. A cold snap in the United States has kept heating oil prices supported. U.S. consumer prices fell less then expected in December and helped pressure the dollar. "CPI data weakened the dollar, providing some support. But the IEA report is offsetting," said Tom Bentz, analyst at BNP Paribas Commodity Futures Inc. "All the negative news is still out there, but the market is a little more resilient since yesterday's late rebound." PRICES * On the New York Mercantile Exchange at 10:09 a.m. EST (1509 GMT), February crude CLG9 was up 53 cents, or 1.5 percent, at $35.93 per barrel, trading from $34.77 to $36.73, within Thursday's $33.20/$37.99 trading range. Thursday's $33.20 intraday bottom was a February contract low and the lowest front-month price since $32.40 was struck on Dec. 19. The spread between front-month February and the March contract remained more than $7. The February contract expires on Tuesday. * In London, front-month March Brent LC0H9 was up 76 cents, or 1.59 percent, at $48.44 a barrel, trading from $47.25 to $49.12. February Brent LCOG9 expired on Thursday at $44.69 a barrel. * NYMEX February heating oil HOG9 rose 2.55 cents, or 1.71 percent, at $1.5126 a gallon, trading from $1.4740 to $1.5283. * NYMEX February RBOB RBG9 was down 1.07 cents, or 0.91 percent, at $1.1635 per gallon, trading from $1.1460 and $1.1945. * The Feb/Feb RBOB crack spread <0#RB-CL=R> was at $12.76. It ended at $13.91 on Thursday. The Feb/Feb heating oil crack spread <0#CL-HO=R> was at $27.40, after ending at $27.06 on Thursday. * The spread between the current front month and the five-year forward crude contract CLc61 was $37.32, based on Thursday's February 2014 contract settlement at $73.25. The spread ended Thursday at $37.85. TECHNICALS NYMEX crude 10-day/20-day moving average: $40.63/$39.32 Technical support/resistance: NYMEX crude: $33.20/$40 NYMEX heating oil: $1.41/$1.60 NYMEX RBOB: $1.1250/1.20 For a report on technicals, click [ID:nLG681686] MARKET NEWS * World oil demand will contract sharply in 2009, the International Energy Agency said on Friday. [ID:nLG658789] * U.S. consumer prices fell by a smaller-than-expected margin in December. The annual pace of price increases was the slowest in more than 50 years. Energy prices fell 8.3 percent in December, after declining 17 percent the prior month. Compared with the same period last year, energy prices fell a record 21.3 percent. [ID:nN15536036] * The dollar extended losses versus the euro after the consumer price report. [USD/] * China's oil demand is likely to rise a mere 1.1 percent in 2009, compared with estimated growth of 4.2 percent in 2008, the IEA said. [ID:nPEK294625] * Norway's Frontline (FRO.OL: Quote, Profile, Research), one of the world's biggest tanker owners, said oil companies were storing "about" 80 million barrels of crude oil at sea. [ID:nLG380177] * Angola is set to export 1.5 million barrels per day of crude in March, down from 1.6 million bpd in February, trade sources said. [ID:nLG594250] * World stocks rallied Friday as U.S. steps to aid banks helped eclipse big fourth-quarter losses from Citigroup and Bank of America. [MKTS/GLOB] (Reporting by Robert Gibbons; Editing by Walter Bagley)

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