demand balance is healthy are likely to get backing from U.S. stock data Wednesday, which analysts expect will show stockpiles rising for the fourth consecutive week. Crude and gasoline supplies in the United States are already running about 9 percent higher than last year, according to the most recent data. But demand growth remains a concern. The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Tuesday raised its forecast for world oil demand for the second quarter, along with its demand forecasts for the U.S. and China. "Upward revisions by the EIA's forecast on world oil demand and that Chinese oil demand would likely be strong again were supportive factors in today's trading," said Marshall Steeves, analyst at Refco Group. Crude inventories are expected to show a 1.8-million-barrel increase when the U.S. Energy Information Administration releases weekly stock data at 10:30 am EST (1530 GMT) on Wednesday, according to a Reuters poll of 12 analysts. U.S. gasoline stocks, which have risen sharply in the Gulf Coast over the past month while the other four regions of the country have remained in normal ranges, are expected to be unchanged. --SP 2351 Local Time 2051 GMT
