Oil prices climbed Tuesday as the combination of a weaker dollar and stronger stock market outweighed concerns about weak demand and vast supplies of crude.

 

enchmark crude for November delivery rose 61 cents to $71.02 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Meanwhile, the government said in its annual winter outlook Tuesday that lower fuel costs and an expected milder winter for much of the nation will cut average winter heating costs by 8 percent from last year to about $960 this winter.