NEW YORK, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices slid under $73 following a sharp drop Thursday as a sell-off in equity markets added uncertainty to the strength of the economic recovery.
Crude oil prices lost $3.84 per barrel Thursday, the sharpest one-day drop since July. By Friday morning, the free fall had slowed, with March delivery of light, sweet crude losing 16 cents to $72.98 per barrel. Heating oil prices lost 0.0134 cents to $1.9218 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline lost 0.0128 cents to $1.938 per gallon. Natural gas prices added 0.124 cents to $5.54 per million British thermal units.
At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline was $2.664 per gallon Friday, up from Thursday's $2.659, AAA said.
