Crude oil edges higher in New York

The price of crude oil pushed slightly higher Monday, adding 44 cents to $96.50 per barrel in New York. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate crude oil found support from a strong gain in durable goods orders in December and a solid gain in capital goods investment. The price failed to spike, however, an indication pricing has already accommodated the upbeat data. Gasoline added 4.62 cents to $2.9313 a gallon. Home heating oil shed 0.9 cents to $3.0499 a gallon. Natural gas lost 13.7 cent to $3.308 per million British thermal units. At the pump, AAA reported the national average retail price for regular unleaded gasoline rose to $3.349 per gallon from Sunday's $3.347.