Crude oil moves higher

Crude oil prices headed toward $97 per barrel Tuesday, the high end of a trading range that has dominated the market for more than a month. With few exceptions, West Texas Intermediate crude oil has ranged from $91 to $97 per barrel since early August. October delivery crude oil on Tuesday added 45 cents to reach $96.99 per barrel. Natural gas gained 1.32 cents to $2.944 per million British thermal units. Home heating oil added 0.12 cents to $3.168 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline tacked on 1.2 cents to $3.036 per gallon. At the pump, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.843 per gallon Tuesday, a sharp 1.5 cent gain from Monday's $3.828, AAA reported.