Crude oil prices fall slightly on Tuesday

NEW YORK, March 11 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices fell slightly Tuesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve stabilized the dollar's decline by offering to loan $200 billion to prime borrowers.

The dollar's weak position against foreign currencies had opened the door for speculation in commodities, driving the price of oil to record heights in nine of the past 10 days.

Crude prices dipped slightly on the New York Mercantile Exchange, down 19 cents to $108.56 per barrel.

The price of heating oil followed with a 0.0065 cent decline to $2.9892 per gallon.

Reformulated gasoline blendstock prices fell 0.0071 cents in late trading to $2.7190 per gallon.

The price of natural gas dropped 0.009 cents in late trading to $9.991 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the AAA Fuel Gauge Report said the national average price of unleaded in the United States rose to $3.227 per gallon, up from Monday's price of $3.222 per gallon. The price of gasoline a month ago stood at $2.957 per gallon, the report said.