Crude oil prices retreat from record

New York, D.C. -- Crude oil prices fell to less than $140 a barrel Tuesday in the New York as speculators retreated from positions taken before the Fourth of July weekend.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude oil prices fell $1.71 Tuesday morning to $139.66, down $5.61 from Friday's record of $145.27.

The price of heating oil fell 0.0448 cents to $3.9248 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline prices fell 0.0447 cents to $3.438 per gallon. Natural gas prices fell 0.076 cents to $12.901 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the national average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline was unchanged Tuesday, matching Monday's $4.108, AAA said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.