Crude oil prices closed in on $74 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as oil exporters said demand would increase this year and next.

In the monthly status report for October, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said demand would jump by 200,000 barrels a day through the end of the year to 84.2 million barrels a day. OPEC forecast demand would climb in 2010 to 84.9 million barrels a day.

In New York, the price of light, sweet crude gained 69 cents to $73.96 per barrel. Heating oil prices rose 0.0256 cents to $1.92 per gallon. Reformulated gasoline prices added 0.0225 cents to $1.8215 per gallon. Natural gas prices fell 0.236 cents to $4.644 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline was $2.478 per gallon Tuesday, down from Monday's $2.482, AAA said.