The price jump came as retail gas prices continued to fall, shedding more than a penny overnight to a new national average of $3.702, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. Prices have now fallen 10 percent from record highs above $4 a gallon set July 17, but the pace of the drop off could slow if oil holds onto Thursday's gains.

"This is probably about it in terms of a retail gas drop. We may be a few cents away from the August bottom," said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief analyst at the Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J.

Prices were supported Thursday by a weaker dollar compared to the euro. The 15-nation currency rose to $1.4874 in afternoon trading in New York from $1.4768 late Wednesday. A falling greenback encourages investors to seek commodities such as oil as a hedge against inflation and a weaker dollar.

"The slide in the dollar has taken some of the wind out of the bear's sail in the energy complex," oil analyst and trader Stephen Schork said in a note.

Oil's rise came despite a huge increase in U.S. crude inventories reported Wednesday. But other supplies were less abundant.

Gasoline inventories shrank by a larger-than-expected 6.2 million barrels to below-average levels in the week ended Aug. 15, the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said Wednesday. Meanwhile, distillate inventories — which include heating oil and diesel fuel — rose by less than expected, the EIA said.

That was enough to offset a hefty 9.4 million barrel rise in U.S. crude stocks last week when the average analyst forecast had been for a 1.7 million barrel increase, according to energy information provider Platts.

But growing concerns over Russia's standoff with Georgia and NATO grabbed the attention of most oil traders Thursday.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Polish counterpart signed a deal to build an American missile defense base in Poland. Last week, a top Russian general warned Poland was risking an attack, possibly a nuclear one, by developing the base.

JBC Energy in Vienna said the "political risk premium of oil prices" had widened to more than $10 a barrel, which could be attributed at least in part to the Russian angle.

Investors are also anxious about the next Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries meeting in early September. Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said he might propose an output cut at the next OPEC meeting.

U.S. energy consultancy Cameron Hanover noted in its daily market report that some members of the oil group were "terrified of allowing Western countries to build any kind of cushion for the unexpected, because it has the potential to return prices to normal or sustainable economic levels" and interfere with OPEC's ability to keep building massive foreign currency reserves.

Oil prices have rebounded after falling about $35, or nearly a quarter, from their all-time trading record $147.27 on July 11. Many investors expect that high gasoline prices and slowing economic growth in the U.S., Europe and Japan will undermine global energy demand.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil futures rose 13.71 cents to settle at $3.3006 a gallon, while gasoline prices gained 13.49 cents to settle at $3.0452 a gallon. Natural gas futures increased 17.5 cents to settle at $8.252 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, October Brent crude rose $5.83 to $120.19 a barrel.

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Associated Press writers Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary and Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.