Crude prices up in Asia

Crude oil prices rose in Asian trade today as freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall in Europe boosted demand for heating fuel, analysts said.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for January delivery, gained one cent to $84.12 a barrel.

Brent North Sea crude for January advanced 17 cents to $86.09.

Energy demand was being bolstered by plummeting temperatures and heavy snowfall across Europe, Barclays Capital said in a report.

"Some price support has come from estimates of colder-than-normal temperatures in Europe, pointing to strong seasonal demand for heating oil," it stated.

The chill severely disrupted German and British airports, forced schools in England and Scotland to shut down and caused chaos and deaths on European roads.

It was so cold in France that electricity network RTE warned of cuts in the supply as the country looked set to top record demand levels while 20 per cent of high-speed train services to the hard-hit southeast were cancelled.

Switzerland suffered its coldest November night for 45 years as temperatures plunged below minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit), according to national weather service Meteosuisse.