LONDON (ShareCast) - US crude oil futures fell below $70 a barrel on Friday, snapping a four session winning streak, as concern about weak demand sparked a round of profit taking. Crude for October delivery fell $2.65 to settle at $69.29 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after earlier rising to a high of $72.90. Data out Thursday showed demand for petroleum products fell last week sparking concern about a build-up in supplies. Also pressuring demand for oil was a report showing China's crude oil imports fell in August from the month before by almost 6%. A slide on Wall Street also hurt demand for crude oil futures although the weaker dollar limited bigger losses. Among precious metals gold for December delivery settled at a fresh high of $1,006.40 up $9.60 on Friday. The contract rose to an intra-day high of $1,013.70 before retreating. The weaker dollar encouraged interest in the yellow metal. The greenback headed towards a one year low against the euro and hit a seven-month low against the yen. Silver for December delivery rose 3 cents to $16.70 an ounce while copper for December delivery fell 3 cents to $2.8465 a pound.

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