NYMEX-Crude near $84, post-Thanksgiving trade thin - Reuters (26th Nov 2010)

TOKYO, Nov 26 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures hovered near $84 a barrel in Asia on Friday, holding recent gains on a retreat in the dollar, but trade was slow after the Thanksgiving Day holiday the previous day.


FUNDAMENTALS

* NYMEX crude for December delivery was up 9 cents at $83.95 a barrel by 0021 GMT.

* Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, all New York Mercantile Exchange crude trade on Thursday is combined into Friday's official session.

* Earlier this week, oil prices dropped to near $80 after North Korea's artillery barrage against a South Korean island boosted the dollar's value and reduced the appetite for riskier commodity assets.

MARKETS NEWS

* European shares rose on Thursday, with heavyweight mining shares boosted by rising metals prices and bid interest in Capital Shopping Centres lifting the real estate sector. [.EU]

* The euro remained under pressure on Thursday on turmoil surrounding euro zone debt but held above a two-month low against the dollar after a push to the downside was stemmed largely by corporate demand. [USD/]

* Gold was little changed on Thursday, lacking strong impetus due to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday but backed up by some safe-haven buying amid Europe's debt crisis and heightened tensions between North and South Korea. [GOL/]