* Dollar stronger vs euro, but pared gain on CPI * U.S. oil demand down in January vs year ago-API NEW YORK, Feb 19 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures seesawed, bouncing off an early low hit reacting to a Federal Reserve rate hike when the dollar pared its gains and as a French refinery strike and tensions over Iran's nuclear program help support oil futures. "Seems the core CPI drop caused dollar to reverse earlier gains and the Federal Reserve's Dudley is trying to downplay yesterday's discount rate hike, reassuring that it is not the beginning of tighter rate policy," said Tom Bentz, analyst at BNP Paribas Commodity Futures Inc in New York. Bentz added: "Also the French refineries began their shut-downs due to strike." The U.S. Federal Reserve's pledge to keep benchmark interest rates ultra-low for an extended period "is still very much in place," New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley said on Friday. The remarks came a day after the Fed raised its emergency lending rate, or discount rate, for banks. [ID:nNAT007284] The dollar briefly pared some of its gains versus the euro and the yen on Friday after a government report showed U.S. consumer prices rose less-than-expected in January. [USD/] For details on consumer price report, see [ID:nN18218950] PRICES * On the New York Mercantile Exchange, at 10:10 a.m. EST (1510 GMT), March crude CLH0 was down 14 cents, or 0.18 percent, at $78.92 a barrel, trading from $77.76 to $79.59. * The NYMEX March contract expires Feb. 22. * In London, April Brent crude LCOJ0 fell 42 cents, or 0.54 percent, to $77.36 a barrel, trading from $76.45 to $78.08. * NYMEX March RBOB RBH0 rose 0.77 cent, or 0.37 percent, to $2.0769 a gallon, trading from $2.0350 to $2.0860. * NYMEX March heating oil HOH0 slipped 1.10 cents, or 0.54 percent, to $2.0406 a gallon, trading from $2.0187 to $2.0650. * The March/March heating oil crack spread <0#CL-HO=R> was at $6.92, after ending at $7.11 on Thursday. The March/March RBOB crack spread <0#RB-CL=R> was at $8.33, after ending at $7.85 on Thursday. * The spread between the current front month and the five-year forward crude contract CLc61 was at $10.11, based on the March 2015 contract Thursday settlement at $89.03. The spread ended Thursday at $9.97. TECHNICALS NYMEX crude 10-day/20-day moving average: $75.23/$74.94 Technical support/resistance: NYMEX crude: $75.82/$79.46 NYMEX heating oil: $2.0002/$2.0554 NYMEX RBOB: $2.0075/$2.0644 For a full report on technicals, click on [ID:nLDE61I16S] MARKET NEWS * France has 10 to 20 days of fuel supplies to cope with a worsening refinery strike, the French Petroleum Industry Body (UFIP) said. Workers at Total's (TOTF.PA) six French refineries extended their three-day strike on Friday. [ID:nLDE61I0PC] * Russia's foreign minister said Moscow was very alarmed at Iran's lack of cooperation with the U.N. nuclear agency, the Itar-Tass news agency reported. [ID:nLDE61I173] * Oil refinery output in 16 European countries fell 6.5 percent to 11.317 million barrels per day in January from a year earlier, Euroilstock data showed. [ID:nL12609094] * The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported crude stocks rose more than expected last week, with distillate stocks lower and gasoline inventories up. [EIA/S] * U.S. demand for crude oil and petroleum products fell sharply in January from year-ago the American Petroleum Institute said Friday. [ID:nN19115648] (Reporting by Robert Gibbons; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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