Crude prices fall on last day of quarter

NEW YORK, March 31 (UPI) -- Investors retreated from crude oil speculating Monday, as analysts predicted the price of crude would continue to fluctuate for a while.

The pullout was prompted in part by the date, which was the last day of the first quarter of the year, The Wall Street Journal reported.

"Don't put any stock in this. It's the end of the quarter," energy analyst Stephen Schork told the Journal.

"We don't see commodity prices holding steady in the face of the magnitude of economic problems," Walter Zimmermann of ICAP/United Energy said to the newspaper.

Crude prices started the day near $105 per barrel but fell to $101.55 on the New York Mercantile Exchange by Monday afternoon.

Heating oil gained 0.0108 cents late in the day to $3.06 per gallon.

Reformulated blendstock gasoline prices gained 0.0437 cents in late trading to $2.66 per gallon.

The price of natural gas gained 0.205 cents on the day, to $10.065 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline in the United States was $3.287 per gallon Monday, up from Sunday's $3.286 per gallon, the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said.