Crude oil regains $96

Crude oil prices topped $96 per barrel for the first time in a week Friday as oil remained in a neutral trading range between $91 and $97 per barrel. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate crude oil for October delivery lost 17 cents to $96.25 per barrel. That was the highest finish since the previous Friday when it settled at $96.47. Natural gas gained 3.1 cents to $2.713 per million British thermal units. Home heating oil added 4.52 cents to $3.1489 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline added 0.29 cents to $3.0225 per gallon. At the pump, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.822 per gallon Friday, down from Thursday's $3.823, AAA reported.