The price of oil slipped below $92 a barrel on Monday as closely watched surveys showed the global economy remains weak. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for November delivery was down 47 cents to $91.72 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Oil prices hovered around 8-month lows near $80 a barrel Thursday after the U.S. central bank balked at implementing vigorous stimulus measures to boost waning economic growth and U.S. crude stockpiles rose unexpectedly.
A steep drop in gasoline costs drove down a measure of U.S. wholesale prices in May by 1%, the most since July 2009. But outside the food and energy categories, prices increased moderately.
The price of oil hovered above $82 a barrel Tuesday after touching an eight-month low near $81 earlier in the session amid concern Spain's bank bailout won't be enough to stem Europe's debt crisis and suggestions OPEC could boost production targets.
The dollar and U.S. stock futures rose following President Barack Obama's announcement late Sunday night that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. Analysts said the boost to the currency was a signal of greater confidence in the United States and a reduction in national security risks.
The price per gallon for gasoline is at the second-lowest level in five years, and some economists predict it could drop much further soon. The reason: More-than-ample inventories of crude oil and refined petroleum products.