Oil Price Slips to Near $97 a Barrel

Oil fell slightly Monday to finish the trading day at just over $97 a barrel Monday, after earlier sliding to near $96 a barrel, Bloomberg News reported.

Crude futures dipped 16 cents to finish at $97.07 a barrel New York Mercantile Exchange, down from Thursday’s $97.23 closing price, which had been the highest since Valentine’s Day.

Oil prices rose by more than $5 a barrel in March. The Nymex was closed Friday in observance of Good Friday.