21.   Heating oil inventories are down and demand is up.

22.   Heating oil inventories are also higher than a year ago, while gasoline stockpiles are smaller.

23.   Heating oil inventories have risen in recent months as refineries ran at near-maximum capacity during the summer to meet demand for gasoline.

24.   Heating oil futures fell, pulling crude lower, after an unexpected rise in heating oil inventories overshadowed an equally unexpected drop in crude oil supplies.

25.   Heating oil inventories in the Northeast were unusually low before the cold snap.

26.   Heating oil inventories normally rise at this time of year as oil companies build up stockpiles before the winter heating season.

27.   If OPEC does not relent, the relatively low levels of oil inventories and strong demand mean that prices will move higher.

28.   In fact, the lean oil inventories and robust demand that propped up prices all year helped them pare some of their losses after their collapse earlier this week.

29.   In NEW YORK, crude oil prices were little changed as traders awaited an industry report detailing changes in oil inventories before the start of the heating season.

30.   In the past, Leuffer said, OPEC has backed off production cuts when oil inventories got low.