Oil edged above $58 a barrel today in volatile trade that has trapped prices in a narrow range.
US crude for March delivery was 29 cents higher at $58.29 a barrel earlier.
London Brent crude for April was up 34 cents at $57.77. Prices fell more than a dollar yesterday after US government data showed heating oil stocks had fallen less than expected.
The market drew some support from a snow storm in the US northeast, the world's biggest heating oil market, but the impact of any cold weather was expected to be limited because the northern hemisphere winter is drawing to a close.
Another set of US government data for release this afternoon will provide a snapshot of US natural gas storage.
US crude prices have climbed from a 20-month low of $49.90 on January 18th but have faltered around $60 a barrel. Analysts have said the market will probably stay volatile and range-bound.