NYMEX-Crude ends up on Bernanke, oil stocks drop

* U.S. crude stocks fell last week - EIA

* Dollar tumbles vs basket of currencies

* Coming up: EIA natgas storage data, 1430 GMT Thursday

NEW YORK, July 13 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures ended
higher for a second straight day on Wednesday, lifted by U.S.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks signaling more
stimulus might be coming if the economy weakens and by data
showing a larger-than-expected drop in crude stocks.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is ready to ease monetary policy
further if economic growth and inflation slow much more,
Bernanke said, giving a boost to the bruised stock market.
[ID:nN1E76C0KZ]

The dollar index .DXY tumbled after Bernanke's remarks,
posting its worst performance against a basket of currencies in
almost a month. The dollar fell to a record low against the
Swiss franc.

A weaker dollar can be supportive to dollar-denominated oil
prices, making oil less expensive for consumers using other
currencies and attracting investment seeking stronger returns.

U.S. crude and oil product stocks fell last week as crude
imports dropped, U.S. Energy Information Administration data
showed. Crude stocks fell a bigger-than-expected 3.12 million
barrels in the week to July 8, EIA said. [EIA/S]

A Reuters survey of analysts had yielded a forecast for
crude to be down, but only by 1.8 million barrels.

FUNDAMENTALS

* On the New York Mercantile Exchange, August crude CLQ1
rose 62 cents, or 0.64 percent, to settle at $98.05 a barrel,
having traded from $96.53 to $99.21.

* Sunoco Inc's (SUN.N) 335,000 barrel-per-day Philadelphia
refinery has repaired a 40,000 bpd fluidic catalytic cracking
unit, and it is increasing output levels, sources familiar with
refinery operations said. [ID:nN1E76C13J]

* Three bomb blasts rocked Mumbai during rush hour, a
senior official said, in the biggest attack on India's
financial capital since 2008 assaults blamed on Pakistan-based
militants. [ID:nL3E7ID2UM]

* The International Energy Agency said global oil demand
would rise in 2012 to a hefty 91 million barrels per day (bpd),
outpacing a more conservative prediction by OPEC. But the IEA
also trimmed its 2011 demand growth forecast, echoing the
lowered estimates in monthly reports from OPEC and the EIA
released earlier. [ID:nL9E7I7044]

* China's economy grew faster than expected in the second
quarter, though the pace was the slowest since the third
quarter of 2009. [ID:nL3E7ID0AS]

* Chinese implied oil demand rose 1.1 percent in June from
a year earlier, the slowest growth in more than two years, as
oil plants underwent heavy maintenance amid poor refining
margins and Beijing's monetary tightening policy cut into oil
use. [ID:nL3E7ID0QP]

* Japan's commercial crude oil inventories fell 5.4 percent
to a three-month low last week and weekly gasoline sales rose
above year-ago levels, industry data showed. [ID:nL3E7ID0GH]

MARKETS NEWS

* Wall Street stopped a three-day slide but ended well off
the highs as the suggestion of further Federal Reserve stimulus
was taken by investors as a mixed blessing. [.N]

* Copper ended flat, failing to build on an earlier rally
sparked by indications that the Federal Reserve was ready to
stimulate the world's largest economy further, if needed.

* Gold surged to a record near $1,590 an ounce as the
possibility of more Federal Reserve stimulus coupled with
Europe's deepening debt crisis fueled bullion's longest winning
streak in five years. [GOL/]

UPCOMING DATA/EVENTS

* U.S. Energy Information Administration natural gas
storage data to be released at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) on
Thursday.

* U.S. weekly initial jobless claims data released at 8:30
a.m. EDT (1230 GMT) on Thursday.

* ICE August Brent crude LCOQ1 contract to expire on
Thursday.

* U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission positions data
due at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT) on Friday.

SETTLE NET PCT LOW HIGH CURRENT DAY AGO

CHNG CHNG VOL VOL
CLc1 98.05 0.62 0.6% 96.53 99.21 320,193 343,493
CLc2 98.49 0.64 0.7% 96.95 99.61 130,043 141,843
LCOc1 118.78 1.03 0.9% 116.71 119.86 102,375 150,986
RBc1 3.1516 0.0534 1.7% 3.0806 3.1750 37,242 45,386
RBc2 3.0872 0.0416 1.4% 3.0268 3.1098 32,472 26,825
HOc1 3.0997 0.0121 0.4% 3.0578 3.1321 45,426 52,861
HOc2 3.1137 0.0138 0.5% 3.0707 3.1459 25,035 26,839
TOTAL MARKET VOLUME OPEN INTEREST

CURRENT Jul 12 30D AVG Jul 12 NET CHNG
CRUDE 640,267 728,007 689,228 1,538,256 -3,158
RBOB 104,597 100,401 117,872 236,172 -1,580
HO 97,820 113,957 115,531 298,187 1,099
(Reporting by Robert Gibbons and Gene Ramos)