NYMEX oil price steadies below $72 after slipping on dollar

NYMEX light crude oil was little changed just below $72 a barrel on Monday, pausing after a decline in the previous session that was encouraged by a bounce in the US dollar.

NYMEX crude oil futures for October delivery dipped 19 cents to $71.85 a barrel by 2328 GMT. The contract fell 43 cents to settle at $72.04 a barrel on Friday.

Money managers boosted net long positions in the NYMEX crude oil market last week in a bet prices would rise, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in a report on Friday.

Open interest positions were for November crude oil call options bulked at $80, $85 and $90, while put options hovered at the $65, $60 and $55 levels, according to Reuters data on Friday.