Crude Prices Fall on Friday, Remain Above $30

Crude prices ended the week on a down note Friday but managed to stay above the $30 mark. March West Texas Intermediate crude lost 83 cents to end trade at $30.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. April Brent crude on the London ICE Futures Exchange slipped 40 cents to settle at $34.06 a barrel.

The U.S. Labor Department showed domestic hiring was slowing in January which could indicate a slowing of the American economy. At the same time, Baker Hughes reported the number of active oil rigs fell by 31 last week.

March natural gas added 9.1 cents to end trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $2.063 per million British thermal units.