Crude oil tops $96

The price of crude oil jumped above $96 a barrel Tuesday in New York as equities rose with support from positive economic data. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate crude oil for May delivery added $1.55 cents to $96.15 per barrel. Gasoline prices added 4.69 cents to $3.0995 per gallon. Home heating oil gained 1.91 cents to $2.9944 a gallon. Natural gas gained 3.3 cents to reach $3.988 per million British thermal units. At the pump, a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.658 Tuesday, down from Monday's $3.667, the AAA Fuel Gauge Report said.