NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Oil dipped to near $71 a barrel on Thursday as the dollar climbed to a three-month high against the euro.
"We had a strong dollar, and that was all about the fact that the Federal Reserve sent a very slight signal that we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the economic stimulus," said Phil Flynn, a senior market analyst at PFG Best. "A strong dollar puts pressure on commodities."
Crude oil for January delivery fell 1 cent to settle at $72.65 a barrel after diving as low as $71.37 earlier. Prices climbed nearly 3% on Wednesday following an inventory report that showed an unexpected drop in oil supplies.
On Wednesday, the Fed said it would hold interest rates steady near 0%. In a statement accompanying the decision, Fed policymakers said they see market conditions improving. That helped push the dollar to its highest point since September.
The euro fell 1.3% to $1.435 against the greenback on Thursday after Standard & Poor's downgraded Greece's credit rating. This followed a downgrade by Fitch just over a week ago, when health care companies complained that the country was behind on public health care-system payments.
"People were buying the dollar because of both good news and bad news today," Flynn said. Some investors saw the Fed's statement as a positive signal for the economy, and others bought the dollar as a safe haven because they were worried about another credit crisis overseas.
Gasoline prices. The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas fell to $2.590, down four tenths of a cent from the previous day's price of $2.594, according to motorist group AAA. This is the ninth consecutive day prices have declined. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.88% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.20% | 3.23% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 3.84% | 3.88% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.82% | 3.93% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.20% | 3.23% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 32,627.97 | -234.33 | -0.71% |
| Nasdaq | 13,215.24 | 99.07 | 0.76% |
| S&P 500 | 3,913.10 | -2.36 | -0.06% |
| Treasuries | 1.73 | 0.00 | 0.12% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Motor Co | 8.29 | 0.05 | 0.61% |
| Advanced Micro Devic... | 54.59 | 0.70 | 1.30% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 47.49 | -2.44 | -4.89% |
| General Electric Co | 13.00 | -0.16 | -1.22% |
| Kraft Heinz Co | 27.84 | -2.20 | -7.32% |
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