NYMEX-Crude ends down sharply on demand worries

* Wall Street down as bank, energy shares fall

* Dollar up on global economic prospect worries

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended
almost 4 percent lower on Friday amid demand worries following
a pullback on Wall Street and as the dollar's safe-haven bets
rose on fears that a global economic recovery may be far off.

This week, lower oil demand forecasts from OPEC, the
International Energy Agency and U.S. Energy Information
Administration have caused crude oil to drop from the six-month
high just above $60 hit on Tuesday.

"The crude oil market continues to bob within its recent
range, with traders keeping a close eye on global equity
markets," said Tim Evans, energy analyst at Citi Futures
Perspective in New York.

NYMEX front-month June crude contract was also under
selling pressure as it is expiring on Tuesday, traders said.

Preweekend profit-taking also hit refined product futures.

Gasoline dropped after the front-month June contract hit a
seven-month high on Thursday.

Heating oil futures led the day's losers, percentage-wise,
after government data on Wednesday showed a rise in distillate
inventories, which include heating oil and diesel.

Gasoline futures stumbled after the front-month RBOB June
contract hit a seven-month high on Thursday.

PRICES

* On the New York Mercantile Exchange, June crude CLM9
settled down $2.28, or 3.89 percent, at $56.34 a barrel,
trading from $56.07 to $58.88. From a week ago, prices are down
$2.29, or 3.9 percent. For the year, prices are up $11.74 or
26.3 percent from the Dec. 31 settlement at $44.60.

* In London, front-month July Brent crude LCON9 ended
down $2.61, or 4.45 percent, at $55.98 a barrel, trading from
$55.85 to $58.91.

* NYMEX June RBOB RBM9 settled down 4.31 cents, or 2.50
percent, at $1.6806 a gallon, trading from $1.6720 to $1.7262.
Thursday's settlement of $1.7237 was highest close since
$1.7822 on Oct. 15. Thursday's $1.7290 intraday peak was the
highest since prices hit $1.75 on Oct. 21.

* NYMEX June heating oil HOM9 ended down 7.59 cents, or
5.08 percent, at $1.4188 a gallon, trading from $1.4135 to
$1.4972.

* The June/June RBOB crack spread <0#RB-CL=R> ended at
$14.25, widening from $13.78 at the close on Thursday. The
June/June heating oil crack spread <0#CL-HO=R> was at $3.25,
falling from $4.16 at the close on Thursday.

* The spread between the current front month and the
five-year forward crude contract CLc61 ended at $17.11,
edging down from $17.14 at the close on Thursday. The June 2014
contract settled at $73.45, down $2.31, or 3.05 percent.

MARKET NEWS

* U.S. stocks fell as bank stocks retreated and a decline
in crude prices hurt energy companies shares, derailing earlier
optimism from a stronger-than-expected consumer sentiment
report. [.N]

* U.S. consumer prices were unchanged in April as expected,
but recorded their largest 12-month drop since 1955, government
data showed on Friday. [ID:nN15177430]

* The dollar strengthened against the euro as worries
persisted about global economic prospects despite a batch of
better-than-expected U.S. economic data. [USD/]

* The euro zone economy sank in the first quarter, but
economists said this was likely to be the worst quarter of the
recession even though a recovery was still some way off.
[ID:nLF21360]

* Kuwait's oil minister said there was no need for further
output cuts by OPEC as he does not want to see oil prices go up
too fast and a scrapped deal with Dow Chemical (DOW.N) would
not be revived. [ID:nLF217325]

* Nigeria's main militant group declared "all-out war" in
the heart of Africa's biggest oil and gas industry on Friday
after the security forces used gunboats to try to flush its
fighters out of the creeks. [ID:nLF958514]

* U.S. consumer confidence rose in early May to its
strongest since the September failure of Lehman Brothers, with
rising expectations the economy may be in the last stages of
the recession, the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of
Consumers showed on Friday. [ID:nN15197756]
(Reporting by Gene Ramos and Robert Gibbons; Editing by Lisa
Shumaker)