* Equities rally to boost commodities risk appetite
* U.S. oil products draw to support prices
* Coming Up: EIA oil data, 1430 GMT
* U.S. March existing home sales; 1400 GMT
By Francis Kan
SINGAPORE, April 20 (Reuters) - Brent crude held steady
above $121 a barrel on Wednesday as a rebound in equities and a
larger than expected draw on U.S. oil product stocks helped ease
fears over eroding demand.
Investors dipped their toes back into stocks and other risk
assets, partly helped by solid results from investment bank
Goldman Sachs and healthcare company Johnson & Johnson
., a day after Standard & Poor's jolted markets by
lowering its outlook for U.S. credit to negative from stable.
"Last week we saw some disappointing results in tech shares
like Google, but the Goldman earnings were better than expected
and that resulted in a reversal in risk appetite, which is good
for commodities," said Serene Lim, a commodities analyst with
ANZ Bank in Singapore.
ICE Brent crude <LCOc1> for June slipped 12 cents to $121.21
a barrel by 0123 GMT. U.S. crude <CLc1> was up 11 cents at
$108.39 a barrel.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said there was no risk
the United States would lose its AAA credit rating, providing
further support to volatile markets. []
The dollar index , measuring the greenback against a
basket of currencies, extended its losses after solid euro zone
economic data helped the euro rebound against the dollar.
A weaker dollar can lift oil prices by making
dollar-denominated crude less expensive for consumers using
other currencies and by drawing investment away from foreign
exchange markets seeking better returns.
U.S. OIL DATA
U.S. crude oil stocks rose 667,000 barrels last week, the
industry group American Petroleum Institute said in its weekly
inventory report released late on Tuesday.
Gasoline stocks fell 1.8 million barrels and distillate
stocks dropped 3.4 million barrels, falling unexpectedly,
according to the API.
Ahead of the API report, a Reuters survey of analysts
yielded a forecast for crude oil stocks to be up 1.1 million
barrels. Gasoline stocks were seen down 1.5 million barrels and
distillate stocks were forecast to be unchanged.
"The API numbers were rather bullish, and set a good
platform for the oil data out of the U.S. tonight to boost
prices," said Lim.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly data
will follow on Wednesday at 1430 GMT.
EUROZONE, MIDDLE EAST CONCERNS
Oil prices could come under pressure from lingering concerns
over a possible Greek debt restructuring that could further
strain the euro zone, while threats to Africa and Middle East
oil supplies that helped lift oil to recent 32-month peaks
continue to unnerve markets.
Spain will sell up to 3.5 billion euros in bonds on
Wednesday in an auction that should give clues on whether the
country can avoid the bailout contagion that engulfed the much
smaller economies of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.
Tension escalated in the Middle East after Yemeni police
opened fire on protesters in Sanaa and Taiz on Tuesday, killing
at least three people, as protesters tried to escalate their
campaign to end President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule.
[]
In Syria, forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi renewed the
bombardment of Misrata on Tuesday, causing several casualties,
said an Amnesty International researcher in the besieged Libyan
city. []
(Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
