Crude oil prices drop

NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices fell slightly Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, as faltering economies continue pointing to slower demand.

Crude oil prices fell 9 cents to $40.25 per barrel. Heating oil prices fell 0.0047 cents to $1.288 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline rose 0.0171 cents to 88.53 cents per gallon. Natural gas prices dropped 0.271 cents to $5.859 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $1.616 Tuesday, down from Monday's $1.619 a gallon, AAA said.