The price of oil stayed near $106 a barrel Tuesday as energy markets waited for the next U.S. report on crude and fuel inventories for confirmation of recent signs of increased demand. Benchmark crude for August delivery was down 35 cents at $105.97 a barrel at midafternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 37 cents to settle at $106.32 on Monday. Brent crude was down 25 cents to $107.85 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London. In other energy futures trading on Nymex: - Wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to $3.04 a gallon. - Heating oil was steady at $3.03 a gallon. - Natural gas fell 2.4 cents to $3.65 per 1,000 cubic feet.