NYMEX-Crude down in choppy trade; $82 holds firm

* Cold weather expected to boost heating oil demand

* Distillate, crude stocks expected to be lower

NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures edged
lower in very choppy trading on Tuesday, as caution and
uncertainty about economic recovery kept crude from pushing
above the 2009 peak price of $82 a barrel even as cold weather
supported the complex.

"Yesterday's enthusiasm seems to have cooled a bit. Renewed
skepticism, especially coming on top of extreme cold, which
will certainly spike heating demand, and ISM's surprise
reading, must necessarily be viewed as a sign of inherent
weakness," Mike Fitzpatrick, vice president at MF Global in New
York, said in a note.

A Reuters analyst survey on Tuesday ahead of weekly U.S.
inventory data yielded a forecast for distillate and crude
stocks to be lower and gasoline stocks a bit higher. [EIA/S]

The American Petroleum Institute industry group will
release inventory data at 4:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday. The U.S.
Energy Information Administration's report is due at 10:30 a.m.
EST on Wednesday.

U.S. stocks were mixed. [.N]

The Dow industrials slipped as a plunge in November pending
home sales increased concerns about the housing market, though
a sign of improvement in the manufacturing sector limited
losses. The S&P 500 was marginally higher in choppy trading.

For details on the housing and manufacturing stories, see
[ID:nN0558808].

U.S. heating demand this week is expected to average about
21 percent above normal, the National Weather Service said on
Monday. Heating oil demand was expected to be 11 percent above
normal. [ID:nLDE6031EK]

PRICES

* On the New York Mercantile Exchange, at 1:57 p.m. EST
(1857 GMT), February crude CLG0 was down 31 cents, or 0.38
percent, at $81.20 a barrel, trading from $80.95 to $81.99.

* In London, February Brent crude LCOG0 was up 1 cents,
or 0.01 percent, to $80.13 a barrel, seesawing from $79.75 to
$80.76.

* NYMEX February RBOB RBG0 rose 0.75 cent, or 0.36
percent, to $2.1119 a gallon, trading from $2.1004 to $2.1270.

* NYMEX February heating oil HOG0 fell 1.33 cent, or 0.61
percent, to $2.1772 a gallon, trading from $2.1678 to $2.2060.

* The February/February heating oil crack spread
<0#CL-HO=R> was at $10.25, after ending at $10.49 on Monday.
The February/February RBOB crack spread <0#RB-CL=R> was at
$7.48, after ending at $6.87 on Monday.

* The spread between the current front month and the
five-year forward crude contract CLc61 was at $12.71, based
on the February 2015 contract Monday settlement at $93.91. The
spread ended Monday at $12.40.

TECHNICALS

NYMEX crude 10-day/20-day moving average: $78.10/$74.87

Technical support/resistance:

NYMEX crude: $80.57/$82.01

NYMEX heating oil: $2.16/$2.20

NYMEX RBOB: $2.00/$2.1124

For a full report on technicals, click on [ID:nLDE60419F]

MARKET NEWS

* Ford Motor Co (F.N) posted a 33 percent sales gain for
December. Other automakers trailed Ford's gain. Sales for
Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) were up 18 percent while Chrysler's
sales dropped 4 percent. [ID:nN05237516]

* Saudi Arabia cut its official selling prices for February
for light crude to customers in Asia, Saudi Aramco said. It cut
the Arab Light price for Far East refiners by 35 cents to the
Oman/Dubai average minus 60 cents a barrel. [ID:nLDE6041FH]

* Aramco raised the price of Arab Light to U.S. customers
by 15 cents a barrel to a discount of 60 cents a barrel to the
Argus Sour Crude Index.
(Reporting by Robert Gibbons; Editing by Christian Wiessner)