Crude finished down on Friday as Gulf of Mexico oil production resumed following latest hurricane

Friday brought a drop in crude oil prices after a few days of gains. The decline occurred as U.S. Gulf of Mexico crude oil production resumed after Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana. There was also an increase in the U.S. rig count.

West Texas Intermediate crude settled down 32 cents or 0.5% at $68.65 a barrel on the New York Mercantle Exchange.

Brent crude dropped 36 cents or 0.5% and finished at $71.61 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe.

Moderate gains were recorded Friday by most Oklahoma energy stocks including NGL Energy Partners with a more than 4% jump for the day.