The price of oil was slightly higher ahead of the release of U.S. retail sales data later Tuesday. Benchmark oil rose 42 cents to $93.15 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 14 cents to close at $92.73 in New York on Monday. Brent crude, which is used to price international varieties of oil, rose 58 cents to $113.40 per barrel in London. In other futures trading, heating oil rose 1 cent to $3.02 per gallon. Gasoline futures were steady at $2.99 per gallon. Natural gas rose slightly to $2.75 per 1,000 cubic feet, according to a report of the Associated Press.
