Crude Prices Pass $145

Crude oil futures soared past $145 a barrel for the first time ever Thursday before a bounce in the U.S. dollar cut into the gains.

Recently, West Texas crude was up 73 cents at $144.30 a barrel, while Brent futures were adding 64 cents at $144.90 a barrel. Reformulated gasoline was unchanged at $3.56 a gallon, heating oil was up 2 cents at $4.09 a gallon, and natural gas futures were flat at $13.37 per million British thermal units.

Energy futures in the U.S. tend to stay firm ahead of holidays, as traders are usually unwilling to expose themselves for a long weekend to geopolitical strife, infrastructure breakdowns or other threats that can leave oil supplies unbalanced. ...