Oil prices hovered near $66 a barrel Friday in Asia after investor concerns about U.S. crude demand sparked a two-day plunge.
Benchmark crude for November delivery was up 52 cents at $66.41 a barrel by late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Thursday, the contract fell $3.08 to settle at $65.89, the lowest since July 29.
Oil fell $6.86 during Wednesday and Thursday after an unexpected increase in U.S. crude and gasoline supplies triggered doubts about consumer spending and the strength of the economic recovery.

Crude has traded between $65 and $75 for months, a period of stability after prices soared to $147 in July 2008 before crashing to $32 in December.

In other Nymex trading, gasoline for October delivery was steady at $1.64 a gallon, and heating oil held at $1.69 a gallon. Natural gas was up 2.5 cents to $3.98 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In London, Brent crude rose 56 cents to $65.41 on the ICE Futures exchange.