Crude oil: new period of gain

&to=http:// english.pravda.ru/cis/2002/03/19/27060.html ' target=_blank>Crude oil futures rose Monday, after drifting down earlier in the day. Prices for distillates like heating oil were lower, however.

Light, sweet crude for July delivery rose 55 cents to $49.20 a barrel in midday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Crude prices are still down about $9 since hitting an all-time high of $58.28 a barrel April 4. Unleaded gasoline fell 1.3 cents to $1.4060 a gallon, while heating oil gained 0.57 cents to $1.3730 a gallon. On London's International Petroleum Exchange, July Brent slipped 7 cents to $47.96 a barrel, informs the Business Week.