Crude oil finds traction

Crude oil prices climbed above $85 per barrel in New York Thursday, pulling out of a pricing tailspin prompted by President Obama's election victory. West Texas Immediate crude oil for December delivery ducked down as far as $84.44 before turning higher, hitting $85.09 per barrel by the end of Thursday's trading session on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Reformulated gasoline prices added 1.84 to $2.6073 per gallon. Home heating oil shed 0.67 cents to $2.9554 per gallon. Natural gas prices added 3 cents to $3.61 per million British thermal units. At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline rose to $3.464 per gallon from Wednesday's $3.462, AAA said.