US oil dips to less than $96 a barrel

Crude oil prices slipped to about $96 a barrel Friday in New York with traders concerned about slack demand reflected in economic data from Europe. The data gave a boost to the U.S. dollar, which is a bearish factor for commodities priced in dollars. On Friday, the dollar index, a pro-rated measure of the dollar compared with six major currencies, added 0.19 percent to 80.53. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate crude oil for March delivery gave up $1.35 to $95.97 per barrel. Reformulated blendstock gasoline gained 1.79 cents to $3.1345 per gallon. Heating oil was down a penny to $3.21 per gallon. Natural gas was steady at $3.16 per million British thermal units. At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline rose to $3.643 per gallon from Thursday's $3.628 per gallon, AAA said.