Despite a drop in the number of active U.S. oil rigs, crude prices slipped on Friday. March West Texas Intermediate crude lost $1.13 to settle at $29.64 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. April Brent crude dropped $1.27 to end trade at $33.01 a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.
Baker Hughes reported Friday the oil rig activity in the U.S. dropped by 26 rigs to a total of 439. For nine weeks, the number of active oil rigs has been dropping.
March natural gas lost 4.8 cents to close Friday at $1.804 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
