NYMEX-Crude down as equities dip, eyes supply data

* Wall Street pressured by rising wholesaler inventories

* OPEC leaves 2009 and 2010 demand forecasts unchanged

* EIA lowers 2009 global, U.S. oil demand forecast

NEW YORK, Aug 11 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended
lower on Tuesday as traders geared up for weekly inventory data
and under pressure as Wall Street fell after economic data
spurred caution about the economic recovery.

Gasoline futures ended higher, as the inventory data were
forecast to show that gasoline supplies fell last week and as
New York harbor cash market traders reported supply tightness.

U.S. equities fell, dragged by a slide in financial shares
and on economic data showing an unexpected large fall in
wholesalers inventories. [.N]

The American Petroleum Institute rolls out its report at
4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT) and the U.S. Energy Information
Administration will release its own report on Wednesday at
10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT).

Ahead of those reports, an expanded Reuters poll of
analysts forecast a 700,000-barrel increase in crude stocks, a
1.3 million barrel drawdown in gasoline stocks and a 200,000
barrel decline in distillates. [EIA/S]

The EIA said it expected global oil consumption to drop by
1.71 million barrels per day to 83.76 million bpd this year,
compared with 2008. World consumption would rise 940,000 bpd to
84.70 million bpd in 2010, it added.

For the United States, the EIA cut its 2009 demand forecast
compared with 2008 and lowered its forecast for an increase in
2010 demand against 2009. [ID:nN11350532]

"In my view, their prior figures already incorporated the
idea of a second-half recovery in demand, and their summary
talks about a return to year-on-year growth in the fourth
quarter. The minor downward adjustment we see in demand looks
like it begins from some downward revisions to the historical
data," said Tim Evans, analyst at Citi Futures Perspective.

The dollar traded in a tight range as investors awaited a
policy statement from the Federal Reserve. [ID:nN11525819]

"I think the market will continue to test resistance and
support levels in the recent range until further evidence
surfaces that addresses the alleged recovery's sustainability,"
said Mike Fitzpatrick, vice president at MF Global in New
York.

PRICES

* On the New York Mercantile Exchange, September crude
CLU9 settled down $1.15, or 1.63 percent, at $69.45 a barrel,
trading from $68.71 to $71.25.

* In London, September Brent crude LCOU9 ended down
$1.04, or 1.41 percent, at $72.46 a barrel, trading from $71.91
to $74.19.

* NYMEX September RBOB RBU9 settled 1.48 cents higher, or
0.73 percent, at $2.0422 a gallon, trading from $2.0020 to
$2.0475.

* NYMEX September heating oil HOU9 ended down 1.59 cents,
or 0.82 percent, at $1.9117 a gallon, trading from $1.8842 to
$1.9464.

* The September/September RBOB crack spread <0#RB-CL=R>
ended at $16.32 rising from $14.55 on Monday. The
September/September heating oil crack spread <0#CL-HO=R> ended
at $10.84, up from $10.36 on Monday.

* The spread between the current front month and the
five-year forward crude contract CLc61 ended at $16.86,
edging up from $16.75 on Monday. The September 2014 contract
settled on Tuesday at $86.31, down $1.04, or 1.19 percent.

TECHNICALS

NYMEX crude 10-day/20-day moving average: $69.88/$67.54

Technical support/resistance:

NYMEX crude: $70.00/$73.38

NYMEX heating oil: $1.8899/$1.9835

NYMEX RBOB: $2.00/$2.1090

For a full report on technicals, click on [ID:nLB77468]

MARKET NEWS

* The second tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane
season formed over the far eastern Atlantic Ocean Tuesday and
will likely strengthen into the basin's first named storm
during the next day or so, the U.S. National Hurricane Center
said. [ID:nN11524858]

* Rival oil supplies and sluggish demand recovery will
shrink demand for OPEC's crude oil in 2010. Its forecast for
world oil demand in 2009 and 2010 was flat. [ID:nLB30844]
(Reporting by Gene Ramos, Robert Gibbons and Rebekah Kebede in
New York, and David Sheppard in London; Editing by Lisa
Shumaker)