Oil prices drop after Fed chief talk

NEW YORK, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Oil prices closed lower for a second day Thursday, trimming earlier gains after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke warned the U.S. economy faces a possible slowdown.

One day after briefly reaching the $98-a-barrel plateau, crude futures for December delivery dropped 91 cents to close at $95.46 a barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Bernanke told Congress the U.S. economy faces not only the risk of a sharp slowdown from housing woes but an inflationary surge from sharply higher crude-oil prices as well.

Heating oil closed down 1.76 cents at $2.6058 a gallon. Reformulated gas was down .35 cents at $2.4376 a gallon. Natural gas was up .09 cents at $7.71 per million British thermal units.

The AAA said the national average of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at the pump was $3.061, almost 2 cents more than Wednesday’s $3.043.