December crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange opened
$2.22/barrel higher at $96.20/b Tuesday with a decimated US dollar giving
commodity bulls reason to continue the record run-up in prices.

The US Dollar Index on ICE Futures hit an all-time low of 75.989 just as
New York markets were opening. The upswing in commodity prices was aided by a
rebound in global bourses, following a two-day selloff that was ignited by
write-downs and shake-ups in financial firms as the subprime mortgage crisis
battered houses' bottom lines.

"The US dollar is coming under renewed pressure today amid continued
concern that the stress in the financial markets will require further Fed
easing, even though evidence suggests the economy enjoyed strong momentum into
the end of summer and that the labor market remained fairly robust in
October," strategists at Brown Brothers Harriman, said in a report.

December heating oil opened 4.61 cents higher at $2.59/gal after hitting
an all-time high of $2.5970/gal in overnight trading. December RBOB opened
4.39 cents higher at $2.4250/gal.

--Linda Rafield, linda_rafield@platts.com