Crude oil prices rise slightly

NEW YORK, July 16 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices rose to nearly $62 per barrel Thursday in spite of dropping demand and escalating U.S. stockpiles.

Crude oil gained 44 cents to $61.98 per barrel. Heating oil gained 0.0119 cents to $1.594 per gallon. Reformulated gasoline prices gained 0.0064 cents to $1.7145 per gallon. Natural gas rose 0.0339 cents to $3.622 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the average price of unleaded gasoline was $2.492 a gallon Thursday, down from Wednesday's $2.504 a gallon, AAA said.