Crude oil holds under $97 per barrel in New York

Crude oil prices held under $97 per barrel in New York through the weekend, with traders anticipating a week packed with fresh economic data. Reports include the Commerce Department's new home sales report for December, due Monday and a pivotal Federal Reserve monetary policy announcement on Wednesday afternoon. On Monday, light, sweet West Texas Intermediate crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange added 33 cents to $96.97 per barrel. Gasoline dropped 0.88 cents to $2.6544 a gallon. Home heating oil gained 1.68 cents to $3.1542 a gallon. Natural gas shed 12 cents to $5.06 per million British thermal units. The national average price of unleaded regular gasoline dropped to $3.282 per gallon from Sunday's $3.285, the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said.