Crude oil nears $100

Crude oil prices rose to nearly $100 per barrel Thursday morning in New York with prices staying within a recent trading range as inventories remained flat. The U.S. Energy Information Agency said Wednesday that crude oil supplies dropped by 300,000 barrels to 339.2 million barrels in the week ending Feb. 3, the marginal drop left supplies within the upper limit of the average range for this time of year. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light, sweet West Texas Intermediate crude oil added $1.05 to reach $99.76 per barrel. Home heating oil gained 0.18 cents to $3.1913 per gallon. Reformulated gasoline gained 2.51 cents to reach $3 per gallon. Henry Hub natural gas prices gained 1.9 cents to $2.446 per million British thermal units. At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline rose to $3.488 per gallon Thursday from Wednesday's $3.483, AAA said.