OIL PRICES UP: 86.03/BBL

Light, Sweet Crude for December Delivery Rose 42 cents, to $81.42 a Barrel.

Oil prices edged higher Tuesday as the dollar fell and conflicting U.S. economic data kept markets in a holding pattern.

Light, sweet crude for December delivery rose 42 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $81.42 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The global Brent contract rose 20 cents, or 0.2%, to $86.03 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange.

Nymex crude held up for a second day after dipping below $80 a barrel on Monday, with some analysts saying they believe the tailspin that has dragged U.S. and global oil prices down by about 25% since mid-June appears to be over for now.

wsj.com