POLL- Oil price to average $74.00 a barrel in 2010

By Chris Baldwin and David Sheppard

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil was expected to average $74.00 a barrel in 2010, a Reuters poll showed on Monday, as almost one third of analysts surveyed increased their forecasts on the back of a stronger economic outlook.

The poll of 29 analysts showed a higher average oil price forecast for the sixth consecutive month, up from $73.46 in September. In April of this year, the average analyst forecast for 2010 was just $65.95 a barrel.

For a graphic showing the Reuters oil price poll, click here here

"Fundamentals for the oil market look better and better with the IMF raising the forecast for global growth in 2010," said Frank Schallenberger, head of commodity research at Landesbank.

The International Monetary Fund met in Istanbul at the beginning of the month and said it expected world output to grow by 3.1 percent next year, a more upbeat forecast than its prediction of 2.5 percent growth made in July.

"That means more oil demand in the next year, and that has already become visible in higher forecasts," Schallenberger said.

U.S. crude is now expected to average $69.73 in the fourth quarter of 2009, up from $68.32 in the last poll.

U.S. crude prices have jumped by almost $10 a barrel in the last two weeks on a combination of positive corporate results and the weak dollar.