Oil reverses gains, ends lower

By Julianne Pepitone, staff reporter


(NEW YORK) CNNMoney.com -- Oil prices reversed gains Friday as recovery concerns persisted, despite a report showing that the U.S. economy grew last quarter at its fastest pace in more than six years.

What prices are doing: Crude oil for March delivery fell 75 cents to settle at $73.64 a barrel Friday.

oil.jpg.mkw.gif
Click the chart to view other commodity prices.

On Thursday, oil ended slightly lower at $73.64 a barrel as a selloff on Wall Street put traders on edge and the dollar strengthened.

What's driving prices: Early Friday, the government reported that the nation's gross domestic product -- the broadest measure of economic activity -- rose at a 5.7% annual rate in the fourth quarter.

That's significantly higher than the 4.7% rate analysts expected, and beat the 2.2% increase posted in the prior quarter. Stocks jumped on the news, boosting crude prices. But the gains were short-lived, and equities pared gains after the morning jump.

Crude prices fell as stocks drifted lower. Oil traders view the stock market as a leading indicator of economic growth and potential energy demand. As a result, oil prices have tended to fall in tandem with the major stock indexes.

What analysts are saying: "No matter what, people are looking for recovery to be a continuing trend," said Cameron Hanover analyst Peter Beutel. "[They] forget about GDP and will be look for additional numbers, asking, 'What's next?'"

He expects crude to trade in a range between $72.50 and $77.50 over the next week, though a continued cold weather snap could push prices slightly higher. To top of page

Frontline troops push for solar energy
The U.S. Marines are testing renewable energy technologies like solar to reduce costs and casualties associated with fossil fuels. Play
25 Best Places to find rich singles
Looking for Mr. or Ms. Moneybags? Hunt down the perfect mate in these wealthy cities, which are brimming with unattached professionals. More
Fun festivals: Twins to mustard to pirates!
You'll see double in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Ketchup lovers should beware in Middleton, WI. Here's some of the best and strangest town festivals. Play
Overnight Avg Rate Latest Change Last Week
30 yr fixed3.80%3.80%
15 yr fixed3.09%3.11%
5/1 ARM2.65%2.69%
30 yr refi3.77%3.86%
15 yr refi3.09%3.21%
Rate data provided
by Bankrate.com
View rates in your area
 
Find personalized rates:
Index Last Change % Change
Dow 12,454.83 -74.92 -0.60%
Nasdaq 2,837.53 -1.85 -0.07%
S&P 500 1,317.82 -2.86 -0.22%
Treasuries 1.74 -0.01 -0.80%
Data as of 6:15am ET
Company Price Change % Change
Bank of America Corp... 7.15 0.01 0.14%
Sprint Nextel Corp 2.62 0.09 3.56%
Cisco Systems Inc 16.33 -0.06 -0.37%
Chesapeake Energy Co... 15.81 0.23 1.48%
Ford Motor Co 10.60 0.01 0.09%
Data as of May 25

Sections

The Senate hearing will focus JPMorgan's recent $2 billion trading loss, which Dimon announced earlier this month. More

The offer for mail handlers is part of the Postal Service's plan to cut 150,000 jobs by 2015. More

In the whirlwind of its IPO fallout, there has been a sort of glee in watching the company stumble. What's driving the Facebook-schadenfreude and what can the social network do about it? More

One in six children in the United States is obese. These small businesses have found creative -- and lucrative -- ways to fight the childhood obesity epidemic. More

In Harper County, Kansas, oil companies are offering farmers up to $1,250 an acre for the mineral rights that allow them to drill for oil on their property. More

Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer LIBOR Warning: Neither BBA Enterprises Limited, nor the BBA LIBOR Contributor Banks, nor Reuters, can be held liable for any irregularity or inaccuracy of BBA LIBOR. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2012 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer The Dow Jones IndexesSM are proprietary to and distributed by Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use. All content of the Dow Jones IndexesSM © 2012 is proprietary to Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Chicago Mercantile Association. The market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2012. All rights reserved. Most stock quote data provided by BATS.