Crude oil prices held above $96 per barrel as blue-chip stocks bounced back after a four-day slump. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate crude oil for October delivery closed at $96.12 per barrel with prices off 3 cents in late trading. Natural gas added 0.3 cents to $2.705 per million British thermal units. Home heating oil added 1.13 cents to $3.13 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline added 0.95 cents to $2.92 a gallon. At the pump, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.73 per gallon Friday, up sharply from Thursday\'s $3.718, AAA reported.