Crude oil holds above $106

Crude oil prices held at more than $106 per barrel Thursday morning following late price gains in New York in the previous session. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate crude oil gave up 15 cents to $106.33 per barrel. The price climbed Wednesday after the Energy Information Administration said crude oil supplies dropped by 6.9 million barrels in the week to 367 million barrels. The EIA said supplies are in the upper level of the average range for this time of year, but the drop was more than expected. Reformulated blendstock gasoline lost 2.34 cents to $3.0867 per gallon. Home heating oil added 0.25 cents to reach $3.0737 per gallon. Natural gas added 1.2 cents to $3.641 per million British thermal units. At the pump, the national average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline was $3.669, up from Wednesday's $3.657, the AAA Fuel Gauge report said.