Crude oil slips on strong dollar

Crude oil prices held relatively steady Wednesday, but lost 26 cents to $90.50 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on a stronger dollar. Support came from China's announced intention to keep its economy at a growth rate of 7.5 percent in 2013. The U.S. dollar countered, adding strength across Europe. The dollar index moved 0.62 percent higher to 82.58 on the International Exchange. Gasoline shed 1.65 cents to $3.1335 a gallon. Home heating oil lost 0.3 cents to reach $2.97 a gallon. Natural gas dropped 3.9 cents to hit $3.484 per million British thermal units. At the pump, the national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline dropped a penny from Tuesday's $3.737 per gallon to $3.727, the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said.