Crude oil closes in on $100

Crude oil prices topped $99 per barrel Friday as equities headed higher with a boost from the U.S. Federal Reserve's third round of bond buying. The Fed said Thursday it would spend $85 billion per month through the end of the year on bonds and mortgage-backed securities, a step known as quantitative easing or printing money. Equities markets were higher across the board in Asia and Europe. Stocks on Wall Street started higher after surging Thursday afternoon. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate crude oil for October delivery added $1.26 to reach $99.57 per barrel. Natural gas shed .89 cent to $2.948 per million British thermal units. Home heating oil gained 3.45 cents to $3.2458 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline added 5.07 cents to $2.94 per gallon. At the pump, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.871 per gallon, up from Thursday's $3.869, AAA reported.