Oil prices plunged to the lowest level in five months Tuesday,
falling to within sight of $100 a barrel on signs that Hurricane Gustav
only grazed U.S. energy infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico.
Light,
sweet crude for October delivery fell $5.75 to settle at $109.71 a
barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after earlier dropping as
low as $105.46. It was the lowest trading level since April 4, just
before oil began an unprecedented march above $147 per barrel.