Oil futures fell Tuesday, after Hurricane Wilma missed platforms and refineries in the Gulf of Mexico and as traders expected U.S. inventories to increase. Light, sweet crude for December delivery slipped 12 cents to US$60.20 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Europe. In London, December Brent crude futures on the International Petroleum Exchange dropped 9 cents to US$58.15 a barrel. Heating oil rose marginally to US$1.8015 a gallon (3.8 liters) while gasoline edged down to US$1.5790. Natural gas rose 17.6 cents to US$13.180 per 1,000 cubic feet. After moving slowly through the Caribbean and along the Mexican coast, Hurricane Wilma spared the oil and gas production platforms and rigs concentrated in the central Gulf of Mexico before crashing ashore in Florida on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
