Oil shifts slightly higher

Crude oil prices held at more than $88 per barrel in New York Wednesday morning. West Texas Intermediate crude oil for January delivery added 11 cents to $88.51 per barrel. The movement is slight, but the price marks a departure from around $86 where oil had been hovering for two weeks. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, home heating oil for January added 1.66 cents to $3.0131 a gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline gained 1.2 cents to $2.7029 a gallon. Natural gas prices shed 1.1 cents to $3.308 per million British thermal units. At the pump, AAA reported a national average price for regular unleaded gasoline at $3.226 per gallon, down from Tuesday's $3.236.