US crude oil eases back

Crude oil prices for October delivery dropped 78 cents overnight to $107.84 per barrel as talks began in Switzerland to find a solution to the crisis in Syria. Traders turned their attention to Libya, where the National Oil Corporation said it had declared a force majeure on three major oil exporting ports, saying circumstances had gotten beyond its control due to a strike. This declaration is made as a formal way of stating that it was no longer obligated to fulfill contract obligation, Platts news service reported. Reformulated blendstock gasoline prices added 1.16 cents to $2.7743 per gallon. Home heating oil dropped 0.71 cents to $3.1093 per gallon. Natural gas shed 2 cents to $3.62 per million British thermal units. At the nation's gas stations, the national average price for unleaded gasoline fell to $3.54 per gallon Friday from Thursday's $3.55, the AAA Fuel Gauge report said.