Reply #5: 3/12/08 - Closing Numbers - WTI Breaks $110 For First Time, Closes At $109.92 [View All]

[hatrack]

March 12 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose above $110 a barrel to a record in New York after the dollar weakened to an all-time low against the euro, prompting investors to buy commodities.

The dollar fell to $1.556 per euro, the lowest since the currency's 1999 debut. The declining U.S. currency has spurred investors to move funds into commodities such as oil and gold. Prices fell earlier after a government report showed that U.S. oil and gasoline supplies rose.

``We've rebounded on the decline of the dollar once again,'' said Tim Evans, an energy analyst at Citigroup Global Markets Inc. in New York. ``People are buying oil as a hedge against the weakening U.S. dollar or perceived inflation risk, not because of any shortage of oil.''

Crude oil for April delivery rose $1.17, or 1.1 percent, to settle at $109.92 a barrel at 2:50 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after dropping as low as $107.09. Oil touched $110.20 a barrel, the highest intraday price since the futures began trading in 1983. Brent crude for April settlement rose $1.02, or 1 percent, to close at a record $106.27 a barrel on London's ICE Futures Europe exchange. Futures reached $106.41 a barrel today, an intraday record.

EDIT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601207&sid=a8GJB8fjITio&refer=energy

Elsewhere, three of eleven benchmarks close over $110, eight of eleven close over $105.

http://www.upstreamonline.com/market_data/?id=markets_crude