LONDON: New York crude oil was stuck below $100 on Tuesday, hitting fresh three-month low points in the process, with all eyes on delayed US jobs data, analysts said.
New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in November, hit $98.79 a barrel -- the lowest point since the start of July.
It later stood at $98.97 a barrel, down 25 cents compared with Friday's close.
Brent North Sea crude for December delivery gained 49 cents to $110.13.
Investors are keenly awaiting the release on Tuesday of US non-farm payrolls data.
The figures, delayed because of the recent US government shutdown, will provide clues on the state of the world's biggest economy and could have a bearing on when the Federal Reserve winds down its stimulus programme, according to market watchers.
On Monday, the US Department of Energy (DoE) said American crude inventories increased by 4.0 million barrels in the week ended October 11, far higher than the 1.7 million increase forecast by analysts.
A rise in stockpiles indicate weak demand in the world's biggest oil consuming nation, putting downward pressure on prices.
Vanessa Tan, investment analyst at Phillip Futures, said the seasonal maintenance of refineries coupled with the movement of pipeline flows around a key delivery point for WTI futures helped drive the stockpiles increase.
"This surplus of oil supplies in the near term helped to weigh on prices but some support came from expectations that the US Fed would not reduce asset purchases as its quantitative easing programme would support the demand of oil," she said.
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