Oil prices lingered near $65 a barrel Wednesday in Asia as rising U.S. crude inventories suggested consumer demand remains sluggish in the world's biggest economy. Benchmark crude for September delivery was down 51 cents to $65.07 a barrel by afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Tuesday, the August contract expired, rising 74 cents to settle at $64.72, The Associated Press reported. U.S. crude inventories rose 3.1 million barrels last week while gasoline supplies gained 1.3 million, the American Petroleum Institute said late Tuesday. In other Nymex trading, gasoline for August delivery fell 1.41 cents to $1.80 a gallon and heating oil dropped 0.64 cents to $1.69. Natural gas for August delivery was steady at $3.70 per 1,000 cubic feet. In London, Brent prices fell 25 cents to $66.62 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
