Prices of energy futures rose Friday, recovering much of their losses from Thursday.
Light sweet crude oil for delivery in July settled at $20.34 per barrel, up 33 cents at the New York Mercantile Exchange.Oil went as high as $20.40 as commercial traders pushed the price through a technical barrier, bringing others into the market.
Unleaded gasoline for delivery in July settled at 59.50 cents a gallon, up .61 cents. Home heating oil for delivery in July settled at 51.55 cents a gallon, up .60 cents.
On Thursday, gasoline futures dipped 0.79 cents to a three-month low, pulled chiefly by the perception that summer demand won't be as high as expected. The recovery Friday came despite the absence of fundamental news.
Trading was thin and prices steady much of the day. Most of the gains came in a burst of late-afternoon buying.
Natural gas prices were also higher with contracts for delivery in July settling at $2.509 per 1,000 cubic feet, up 15 cents.