Oil ends lower, below $86 a barrel

The Associated Press

Oil prices fell below $86 a barrel Thursday as investors focused on global economic issues, including the so-called "fiscal cliff" in the U.S.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange:

Benchmark crude fell 87 cents to finish at $85.45 per barrel.

Gasoline rose 1.72 cents to end at $2.6962 a gallon.

Heating oil fell 1.47 cents to finish at $2.9735 a gallon.

Natural gas fell 5.7 cents to end at $3.7030 per 1,000 cubic feet.

On the ICE Futures exchange in London:

Brent crude fell 47 cents to finish the day at $108.01 per barrel.