Crude oil holds near $93

Crude oil prices held steady near $93 per barrel Thursday in New York. Crude oil gained 11 cents overnight to $92.91 per barrel, with prices supported by a tax deal that is expected to help avoid a second U.S. recession. The bill supersedes a budget that economists predicted would put a severe strain on the sluggish economic recovery. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, home heating oil for February shed 2.46 cents to $3.0217 a gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline added 0.04 cents to $2.7955 a gallon. Natural gas prices dropped .41 cents to $3.194 per million British thermal units. At the pump, AAA reported the national average price for regular unleaded gasoline rose to $3.292 per gallon from Wednesday's $3.291.