OIL fell below US$94 a barrel yesterday after the International Energy Agency lowered its forecast for global oil demand.

Benchmark oil for May delivery dropped US$1.13 to finish at US$93.51 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It had gained about US$2 a barrel in the first three days of the week.

The IEA, which represents some of the world's biggest oil-consuming nations, lowered its expectations for global oil demand in 2013 by 45,000 barrels, to 90.6 million barrels a day. That is still 795,000 barrels a day more than in 2012.

"A weak macroeconomic environment is expected to keep demand growth relatively subdued for the remainder of the year," the Paris-based agency said.

Its predictions echoed those made earlier this week by OPEC, comprised of the world's key oil exporters, and the US Energy Department.

Brent crude, which sets the price of crude used by many US refineries to make gasoline, fell US$1.52 to end at US$104.27 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Brent has dropped about 12 percent in the past two months amid Europe's ongoing financial crisis, increased supplies and tepid forecasts for demand. That combined with a sharp drop in gasoline futures to push down pump prices in the US.

Gasoline futures fell 3 cents to finish at US$2.83 a gallon yesterday, and are close to a three-month low.

Natural gas rose 5 cents to end at US$4.14 per 1,000 cubic feet, the highest close since Aug. 2, 2011.

The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration reported yesterday that natural gas in storage shrank last week by 14 billion cubic feet to 1.673 trillion cubic feet. Overall supplies are now about 4 percent below the five-year average.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

- Heating oil lost 5 cents to finish at US$2.90 per gallon.