Near-record oil prices rose on Monday as natural gas futures rallied on forecasts for cool U.S. weather. U.S. distillate stocks are stubbornly below year-ago levels on trucking and heating demand, making oil prices vulnerable to natural gas rallies late in the Northern Hemisphere winter. "Certainly natural gas markets were the star performer of the day, which has helped pull heating oil off lows," said Tim Evans, analyst at IFR Energy Services in New York. Natural gas futures rose more than 36 cents to above $7.13 per million British thermal units. Temperatures in New York and Chicago were expected to remain several degrees below normal this week, according to AccuWeather. U.S. light crude CLc1 rose 52 cents to $54.95 a barrel, after touching a high of $55.05. The price last week peaked at $55.65, just two cents below October's all-time record of $55.67. In London, Brent oil futures rose 56 cents to $53.65 a barrel.
