Oil prices were little-changed Friday as the market turned its attention to OPEC for signals on whether the cartel will raise production to ease record prices. Light, sweet crude for January delivery added 14 cents to $97.43 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, midday in Singapore.Gasoline prices added 0.19 cent to $2.439 a gallon (3.8 liters), while natural gas futures rose 1.3 cents to $7.563 per 1,000 cubic feet.
On Wednesday, the contract fell 74 cents to settle at $97.29 a barrel during the New York floor session, retreating from an intraday record of $99.29 a barrel touched during electronic trading earlier in the day.
A swoon in global stock markets also depressed oil prices Wednesday. Energy investors worry that falling equities are a symptom of weakening economies that would use less oil and gasoline.
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