Crude oil prices head higher

stockpiles, the price for December delivery topping $82 per barrel in New York.

Crude oil prices added 39 cents overnight to $82.33 per barrel Thursday. On Wednesday, the Energy Information Administration said crude oil supplies rose by 5 million barrels to 366.2 million barrels, above the average range for this time of year.

Gasoline stockpiles dropped by 4.4 million barrels to 214.9 million in the week ending Oct. 22.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, heating oil prices added 0.79 cents overnight to $2.2641 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock for December delivery added 1.22 cents to $2.0876 per gallon.

Henry Hub natural gas prices shed 8.1 cents to $3.691 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline rose slightly to $2.808 per gallon Thursday from Wednesday's $2.807, AAA said.

Copyright 2010 United Press International