Oil pushes toward $86

Crude oil prices headed higher Monday, topping $85 per barrel, as Germany and France discussed rescues for European banks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy met Sunday. After the meeting, without revealing details, the leaders said they were determined to agree on a plan for recapitalizing European banks. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, November contract West Texas Intermediate crude oil added $2.82 to reach $85.80 per barrel. Home heating oil gained 4.88 cents to reach $2.9094 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline gained 8.01 cents to $2.7185 per gallon. Henry Hub natural gas prices added 6.3 cents to $3.565 per million British thermal units. At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline dropped slightly from Sunday's $3.396 per gallon to $3.395, AAA said.