Energy prices were mostly higher Friday as the market responded to a strong rally in crude oil.
Contracts for the April delivery of light sweet crude oil settled at $18.63 per barrel, up 28 cents on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Crude declined at the beginning of the week, but showed a turnaround by week's end.
"Crude outperformed the other products on the market," said Morris Greenberg, an energy analyst for Lehman Bros.
In other trading, natural gas prices were lower, with contracts for delivery in April settling at $1.448 per 1,000 cubic feet, down 0.33 cent. Wholesale home heating oil for delivery in April settled at 47.41 cents a gallon, up 0.89 cent.
A sell-off of unleaded gasoline drove prices lower for most of the week. But it closed higher Friday, with the April contract settling at 55.94 cents a gallon, up 0.35 cent.