Crude oil prices hold steady Thursday

NEW YORK, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices were little changed overnight in New York as traders kept an eye on developments in the Middle East.

Officials in Egypt said Iran had canceled plans to send two warships through the Suez Canal. While that pointed to easing tensions, police and anti-government protesters clashed in Bahrain, leaving at least four dead, The Guardian reported.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, March delivery light, sweet crude oil rose 8 cents to $85.07 per barrel. Home heating oil shed 0.86 cents to $2.7662 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline prices gained 0.45 cents to $2.5492 per gallon. Henry Hub natural gas prices shed 0.4 cents to $3.917 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline rose to $3.145 per gallon from Wednesday's $3.133, AAA said.

(Source: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2011/02/17/Crude-oil-prices-hold-steady-Thursday/UPI-80291297955530/)