Energy traders sent crude oil prices near $100 a barrel Monday on the New York Mercantile Exchange as stock markets soared on retail spending.
January light sweet crude opened at $97.50 a barrel and then climbed to $100.74 before falling back to $98.80 in mid-morning trading. Home heating oil opened at $2.9495 up 2.981 cents. Henry Hub natural gas was off 0.105 cents at $3.437 per British thermal unit.
At the gas pump, AAA reported unleaded gasoline prices averaged $3.295 per gallon, up from $3.30 Sunday.