Crude oil prices climb over $79

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices climbed back over $79 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Tuesday, after a weak dollar propped up prices Monday.

December delivery of light, sweet crude bounced up to $79.31 per barrel Tuesday, despite the dollar rebounding against the euro and the yen. On the U.S. Dollar Index, a measure against a basket of currencies, the dollar rose 0.55 percent Tuesday.

Heating oil prices added 0.0038 cents to $2.0623 per gallon. Reformulated gasoline prices gained 0.0111 cents to $2.016 per gallon. Natural gas prices lost 0.02 cents to $4.526 per million British thermal units.

At the retail level, gasoline prices fell. The average national price for unleaded gasoline at gas stations was $2.627 per gallon Tuesday, down from Monday's $2.631, AAA said.