US crude oil settles after run-up

West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery shed $1.16 cents Friday to $106.73 per barrel in New York. Crude settled back after sharp gains in the past two sessions. Prices headed higher on a slew of positive economic reports, including data that showed manufacturing was growing in China, Europe and the United States. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, reformulated blendstock gasoline moved back to $2.9947 per gallon, off 3.37 cents. Home heating oil settled at $3.0736 per gallon, down 2.3 cents. Natural gas lost 4.4 cents to $3.343 per million British thermal units. At the pump, the national average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline was $3.626, down from Thursday's $3.63, the AAA Fuel Gauge report said.