MARKET WATCH: Crude oil futures gain, natural gas futures slide

March 14, 2014
Crude oil futures prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange continued to make gains Mar. 13, while the natural gas contract continued to slide.

Crude oil futures prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange continued to make gains Mar. 13, while the natural gas contract continued to slide.

The NYMEX April crude oil contract gained 21¢ on Mar. 13, closing at $98.20/bbl. The May contract was up 26¢ to settle at $97.94/bbl.

The April natural gas contract, meanwhile, fell 10.7¢ to a rounded $4.38/MMbtu. On the US spot market, the gas price at Henry Hub was a rounded $4.37/MMbtu, down 31.2¢.

Heating oil for April delivery dropped less than a penny to a rounded $2.92/gal. Reformulated gasoline stock for oxygenate blending for April delivery lost 2.29¢ to a rounded $2.93/gal.

In London, the April ICE contract for Brent crude delivery declined 63¢, closing at $107.39/bbl. The May contract relinquished 43¢ to close at $106.92/bbl. The ICE gas oil contract for April dropped $4.75 to $890.75/tonne.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries reported its basket of 12 benchmark crudes was $103.71/bbl on Mar. 13, edging down 4¢.