Crude oil finds support from ECB

Crude oil prices slide to less than $96 a barrel Tuesday with support coming from the likelihood of a European bond-buying program on the horizon. European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said Monday he would go along with a program of buying three-year government bonds. The ECB is scheduled to make a monetary policy announcement Thursday. On the New York Mercantile Exchange Tuesday, West Texas Intermediate crude oil for October delivery shed $1.11 to $95.36 per barrel. Natural gas added 6.3 cents to $2.862 per million British thermal units. Home heating oil lost 0.56 cents to $3.146 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline gained 0.91 cents to $2.9819 per gallon. At the pump, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.824 per gallon Tuesday, down from Monday's $3.827, AAA reported.