NEW YORK, July 11 (UPI) -- U.S. oil prices were higher Wednesday ahead of U.S. oil inventory data and the Federal Reserve minutes from June, analysts said.
The August contract for crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange was up $1.36, or 1.62 percent, at $85.27 per barrel.
Natural gas futures moved higher Wednesday after Tuesday's decline. The contract for August delivery was up 4.5 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $2.782 per million British thermal units.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration said Tuesday it expects utilities will see a 21 percent increase in natural gas demand this year, slightly above the previous forecast, analysts said.
Home heating oil futures were up 1.13 percent to $2.7502.
Reformulated blendstock gasoline was up 0.29 percent to $2.755 per gallon.
At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline was up to $3.383 per gallon Wednesday, AAA said.
