Tortoise (TYN) (RAH) (MXL) (CINF) (ONNN) (CLR) Upgraded

Tortoise North American Energy Corp (NYSE: TYN), Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RAH), MaxLinear Inc (NYSE: MXL), Cincinnati Financial (NASDAQ: CINF), ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN) and Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR) upgraded by analysts.

Tortoise North American Energy Corp. (TYN) was upgraded by Robert W. Baird from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $26.00 on the company.

Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. (RAH) was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $84.00 on the company.

MaxLinear Inc. (MXL) was upgraded by Needham & Company from a “Buy” rating to a “Strong Buy” rating. They have a price target of $11.00 on the company.

Cincinnati Financial (CINF) was upgraded by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from a “Sell” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $23.00 on the company. They cited valuation as the catalyst behind the call.

ON Semiconductor (ONNN) was upgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $9.50 on the company.

Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR) was upgraded by Morgan Keegan from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $73.00 on the company.

Waters (WAT) (PACB) (CEC) (PMI) (CLR) (COGO) Downgraded

Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT), Pacific Biosciences of California (NASDAQ: PACB), CEC Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: CEC), PMI Group Inc (NYSE: PMI), Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR) and Cogo Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: COGO) downgraded by analysts.

Waters Corporation (WAT) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Pacific Biosciences of California (PACB) was downgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from an “Overweight” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

CEC Entertainment, Inc. (CEC) was downgraded by Sterne Agee from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

PMI Group Inc. (PMI) was downgraded by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR) was downgraded by SunTrust (NYSE:STI) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Cogo Group, Inc. (COGO) was downgraded by Needham & Company from a “Strong Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Noble (NBL) (CLR) (CRM) (CSTR) (EOG) (IPI) (NBL) Upgraded

Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL), Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR), Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), Coinstar (NASDAQ: CSTR), EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG), Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI) and Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL) upgraded by analysts.

Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR) was upgraded by Global Hunter Securities from an “Accumulate” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $78.00 on the company.

Salesforce.com (CRM) was upgraded by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Coinstar (CSTR) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from an “Underweight” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

EOG Resources (EOG) was upgraded by Howard Weil from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $118.00 on the company, up from $114.00.

Intrepid Potash, Inc. (IPI) was upgraded by Scotia Capital to a “Sector Perform” rating.

Noble Energy (NBL) was upgraded by Macquarie from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Whiting (WLL) (CLR) (KMP) (GST) (APA) Trade Mixed as Energy Falls

Shares of Whiting Petroleum (NYSE:WLL), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE:KMP), Gastar Exploration Ltd (AMEX:GST) and Apache Corp (NYSE:APA) on Thursday as oil and gas were down on the day.

Benchmark crude for June delivery fell $1.63 to settle at $98.93 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent crude oil for July delivery was down 23 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $112.07.

June, heating oil fell 1.12 cents to settle at $2.8947 a gallon, gasoline dropped 2.95 cents to $2.926 a gallon and natural gas fell 10.5 cents to $4.161 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP) closed Thursday at $73.21, gaining $0.89, or 1.23 percent.

Whiting (WLL) (PXP) (VQ) (CXPO) (CLR) Trade Up on Weak U.S. Dollar

Shares of oil companies Whiting Petroleum (NYSE:WLL), Plains Exploration & Production (NYSE:PXP), Venoco Inc. (NYSE:VQ), Crimson Exploration (NASDAQ:CXPO) and Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR) traded higher Wednesday after a report from the Energy Information Administration saying gas inventory was up less than expected and oil inventory was flat.

Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery was up $3.19, or 3.3 percent, to settle at $100.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Retail gasoline prices continued to fall, dropping almost 2 cents on Wednesday for a national average of $3.926 a gallon. Gasoline demand continues to fall in wake of high prices at the pump.

Heating oil for June increased 6.08 cents to settle at $2.9059 a gallon and gasoline futures jumped 3.62 cents to settle at $2.9555 a gallon. Natural gas gained 2 cents at $4.266 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Brent crude rose $2.31 in London, or 2.1 percent, to settle at $112.30 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the dollar against a basket of six currencies, traded at 75.438, down a little from 75.441 late Tuesday. That was also a factor in oil prices going up, as well as other commodity prices as well.

The euro traded at $1.4233, strengthening after falling to $1.4193 and up slightly from its $1.4219 close on Tuesday.

Traders bought commodities, including oil, on the weaker greenback.

Continental Resources (CLR) closed Wednesday at $63.15, gaining $2.14, or 3.51 percent.

Cameron (CAM) (WTI) (CLR) (CWEI) (BEXP) Trade Mixed as Oil Prices Rebounded

Shares of Cameron International (NYSE:CAM), W&T Offshore (NYSE:WTI), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Clayton Williams Energy (NASDAQ:CWEI) and Brigham Exploration (NASDAQ:BEXP) traded mixed even as oil prices closed Friday in positive territory.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for June delivery on Friday settled at $99.65 a barrel, up 68 cents, or 0.69 percent, after trading in a range of $97.09 to $100.70.

For the week, front-month crude climbed $2.47, or 2.5 percent.

ICE Brent for June delivery settled at $113.83 a barrel, up 85 cents, or 0.75 percent, after trading in a range of $111.72 to $114.92. The Brent crude contract for July delivery was at 66 cents, or 0.6 percent higher on Friday, at $112.99. Last week, Brent crude jumped $4.70, or 4.3 percent.

The U.S. dollar index was up 0.8 percent higher at $75.72 as the euro was down 1 percent against the dollar at $1.411. On Friday, European officials said that Greece, Ireland and Portugal's sovereign debt problems may be worse than previously believed.

NYMEX June gasoline settled at $3.0744 a gallon, up 1.05 cents, or 0.34 percent, after trading in a range of $3.0342 to $3.1388.

For the week, front-month RBOB fell 1.57 cents, or 0.5 percent.

NYMEX June heating oil closed at $2.9422 a gallon, rising 2.85 cents, or 1 percent.

Front-month heating oil for last week was up 9.65 cents.

Cameron International (CAM) closed Friday at $49.65, gaining $0.82, or 1.68 percent.

Continental Resources (CLR) Trades Up as Oil, Gas Rise

Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR) traded up Tuesday as crude oil, natural gas and gasoline prices jumped, pushing up the share price of the company.

Benchmark crude for May delivery rose $1.33 to settle at $103.88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Heating oil jumped 3.94 cents to settle at $3.0012 a gallon. Gasoline futures climbed 10.13 cents to settle at $3.3797 a gallon, while natural gas for June delivery increased 8.7 cents to settle at $4.303 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Continental Resources, Inc. participates in the exploration, exploitation, and production of crude oil and natural gas primarily in the United States.

Continental (CLR) closed Tuesday at $46.65, rising $0.61, or 1.32 percent.

Chevron (CVX) (CWEI) (CLR) (EPM) (NOV) Trade Up as Oil Prices Jump

The majority of oil and related companies performed strong Monday, as Chevron (NYSE:CVX), Clayton Williams Energy (NASDAQ:CWEI), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Evolution Petroleum (Amex:EPM) and National-Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE:NOV) traded up as the price of oil rebounded.

Crude oil for June delivery climbed $5.37 to settle at $102.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the largest one-day boost since February 22.

Brent crude for June settlement jumped $6.77, or 6.2 percent, to $115.90 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.

Wholesale gasoline prices soared 5 percent on Monday to $3.20 a gallon on fears that refineries in Mississippi may have to shut down because of the Mississippi River flooding.

The average U.S. price of a gallon of regular gasoline Monday fell by a penny to $3.96, according to AAA.

Immediate delivery futures of Texas crude oil rose $5.53 to $102.71 a barrel. Natural gas was up 0.06 cents to $4.17 per mbtu, while gasoline prices fell 20.17 cents to 329.18 cents a gallon.

National-Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NOV) closed Monday at $70.67, climbing $2.07, or 3.02 percent.

Ratings on (CCJ) (CLR) (DO) (DX) (ETFC) Upgraded

Analysts upgraded their ratings on Cameco Co. (NYSE: CCJ), Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR), Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (NYSE: DO), Dynex Capital, Inc. (NYSE: DX) and E TRADE Financial Co. (NASDAQ: ETFC) today.

TD Newcrest upgraded Cameco Co. (CCJ) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating.

Canaccord Genuity upgraded Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating.

Duncan Williams upgraded Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (DO) from a “reduce” rating to a “strong buy” rating. They have a $86.75 price target on the company. They cited valuation as the catalyst behind the call.

Ladenburg Thalmann upgraded Dynex Capital, Inc. (DX) from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating. They have a price target of $10.50 on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) upgraded E TRADE Financial Co. (ETFC) from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating.

Shares of (ROSE) (PXP) (CLR) (EPM) Trade Mixed as Oil Closed Down 15% Last Week

Companies exposed to oil and the industry traded mixed to end the week, as oil prices plummeted 15 percent last week, taking Rosetta Resources (NASDAQ:ROSE), Plains Exploration & Production (NYSE:PXP), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Evolution Petroleum (Amex:EPM), and others, down with it.

Light, sweet crude oil for June delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange dropped $2.62 to settle at $97.18 a barrel, matching the eight-week low of March 15. The U.S. Oil Fund (USO) closed down 1.1 percent on Friday.

For the week, the June oil futures contract fell 14.7 percent to $113.93.

Light, sweet crude for June delivery fell $2.62, or 2.6%, to close at $97.18 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In London, Brent crude finished the day off $1.67 at $109.13 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Republicans went on the offensive against higher oil and gas prices by passing a bill to hasten the leasing process dragging on in the Gulf of Mexico as the Obama administration drag their feet on taking action. The bill would also require leasing to be allowed off the coast of Virginia.

According to Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), the bill helped push down the price of oil as it sent a message to the market they're serious about the future supply.

All Obama has done so far has obsessed on the fantasy of green, clean or so-called alternative energy; a dubious matter at best, and at worst, ignoring what they country needs now and is available to it.

In other Nymex trading for June contracts, heating oil fell 4.12 cents to $2.8457 a U.S. gallon and gasoline futures were down 0.53 cents to $3.0901 a U.S. gallon. Natural gas fell 3.4 cents to $4.297 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Rosetta Resources (ROSE) closed Friday at $41.10, jumping $1.83, or 4.66 percent.

Ratings on (ANDE) (AREX) (CLR) (CPA) (CXO) Upgraded

The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANDE), Approach Resources Inc. (NASDAQ: AREX), Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR), Copa Holdings (NYSE: CPA) and Concho Resources Inc. (NYSE: CXO) were upgraded today.

Feltl & Co. upgraded The Andersons, Inc. (ANDE) from a “strong buy” rating to a “buy” rating.

Global Hunter Securities upgraded Approach Resources Inc. (AREX) from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating. They have a price target of $32.00 on the company.

Pritchard upgraded Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR) from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating.

Dahlman Rose upgraded shares of Copa Holdings (CPA) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a price target of $77.00 on the company.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) upgraded Concho Resources Inc. (CXO) from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating.

Halliburton (HAL) (NOV) (CLR) (CRZO) (STR) Pressured as Oil Falls

Shares of oil and oil-related companies Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), National-Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE:NOV), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO) and Questar Corporation (NYSE:STR) were pressured Thursday as crude for June delivery dropped below the $100 a barrel mark.

Crude oil for June delivery was down $9.44, or 8.6 percent, to $99.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price has fallen 12 percent so far this week, declining every day of the week. Crude has soared 25 percent over the last year.

Gasoline for May delivery was down 22.71 cents, or 6.8 percent, to $3.0954 a gallon on the Nymex, the lowest settlement in five weeks. Gasoline has jumped 39 percent in a year.

Averaged across the nation, regular gasoline at the pump increased 0.3 cent to $3.985 a gallon on Wednesday, according to the website of AAA. That's highest price of gasoline since July 24, 2008.

Heating oil for May delivery was down 25.61 cents, or 8.1 percent, to $2.8869 a gallon on the Nymex. Heating oil has climbed 32 percent over the last year.

The New York Mercantile Exchange reported that oil futures settled at $99.80, down $9.44 or 8.6 percent on Thursday.

Government figures show gasoline demand in America has dropped about 2 percent over the last month, which added to rises in inventory, should push gasoline prices down again.

Questar Corporation (NYSE:STR) closed Thursday at $17.02, dropping $0.13, or 0.76 percent.

Transocean (RIG) (PETD) (CLR) (TAT) (EPD) Trade Down on Slowing Oil Demand

Oil companies and other industry-related companies Transocean (NYSE:RIG), PDC Energy (NASDAQ:PETD), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), TransAtlantic Petroleum (NYSE:TAT) and Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) all closed down Wednesday as oil prices took a breather.

Oil prices dropped after a government report showed that inventories are growing as demand softens in the U.S. Benchmark crude for June delivery was down $1.81 to settle at $109.24 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In other NYMEX trading for June contracts, heating oil fell 4.78 cents to settle at $3.143 a gallon, gasoline futures lost 0.69 cent to $3.3225 a gallon and natural gas was lower by 9.4 cents to $4.644 per 1,000 cubic feet.

The U.S. dollar index shrunk 0.15 percent to $73.01, down from Tuesday's 73.127 close. The dollar index has fallen 7.5 percent so far in 2011.

Continental Resources (CLR) closed Wednesday at $62.89, falling $2.97, or 4.51 percent.

Marathon (MRO) (BOLT) (CLR) (CRZO) (OAS) Drop as Oil Prices Fall

Decreasing demand for fuel has pushed down oil inventories and the price of oil, putting pressure on Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO), Bolt Technology Corp. (NASDAQ:BOLT), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO) and Oasis Petroleum (NYSE:OAS).

Light, sweet crude for June delivery settled down $2.47, or 2.2%, at $111.05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. London Brent crude for June fell $2.67 to settle at $122.45 a barrel.

Front-month June reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, settled down $1.85 cents, or 0.6%, at $3.3294 a gallon. June heating oil lost 6.13 cents, or 1.9%, to settle at $3.1908 a gallon.

Gasoline prices on average across America have jumped to just under $4.00 a gallon, rising to $3.97 a gallon for regular gas, according to AAA.

Silver is considered the key catalyst for downward pressure on oil prices and trading, as it has become a proxy to some for risk appetite among commodity traders.

After selling out of silver commodity traders followed up with divesting of positions in oil as well.

Even so, it appears the slight strengthening of the U.S dollar played a bit role Tuesday as well.

Oasis Petroleum (OAS) closed Tuesday at $29.12, falling $1.05, or 3.48 percent.

Chesapeake (CHK) (TTES) (CLR) (CWEI) (HAL) Trade Down on Volatile Energy Day

Shares of T-3 Energy Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTES), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Clayton Williams Energy (NASDAQ:CWEI), Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE:CHK) and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) closed down on the uncertainty following the death of Osama bin Laden.

Crude futures settled lower Monday after the death of Osama bin Laden stirred up oil markets, as traders attempted to measure the impact of the event on the stability in the Middle East.

Light, sweet crude for June delivery settled 41 cents, or 0.4%, lower at $113.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, in a volatile session that saw both two-and-a-half year highs near $115 a barrel and a decline to $110.82 a barrel.

Brent crude on the ICE futures exchange closed 77 cents lower at $125.12 a barrel.

Front-month June reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, settled 5.05 cents, or 1.5 percent down at $3.3479 a gallon. June heating oil settled 2.37 cents, or 0.7 percent lower at $3.2521 a gallon.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. closed Monday at $33.23, dropping $0.44, or 1.31 percent.

Chevron (CVX) (LINE) (CLR) (BEXP) (TSO) Trade up on Gas, Oil Price Jumps

Linn Energy, LLC (NASDAQ:LINE), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Brigham Exploration (NASDAQ:BEXP), Tesoro Corporation (NYSE:TSO) and Chevron (NYSE:CVX) close up Friday as oil and gasoline prices jump again.

Nymex light, sweet crude oil for June delivery rose $1.07 a barrel, to $113.93 a barrel. That's the highest close in two-a-half-years.

On Nymex, reformulated gasoline blendstock futures for May delivery expired at $3.4648 a gallon, up 3.5 cents Friday. That is the highest level since July 14, 2008. Prices have soared 23.17 cents, or 7.2 percent, over the past week.

AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said the nationwide average price of regular gasoline was $3.909 a gallon Friday, up 6.1 cents from last week.

May heating oil expired at $3.2558 a gallon, up 2.42 cents, and the highest since April 8.

Tightening inventory and higher gasoline prices continue to push oil prices up. Another major factor, as it is with most commodities, is the ongoing collapse of the U.S. dollar. That will continue based on Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's comments he's not going to raise interest rates.

Chevron closed Friday at $109.44, gaining $0.63, or 0.58 percent.

Vaalco (EGY) (CLR) (FTK) (GEOI) (PTR) Close Mixed as Oil, Gas Rise

Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE:FTK), GeoResources (NASDAQ:GEOI), Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) and PetroChina (NYSE:PTR) closed mixed as oil, gasoline and natural gas moved up in price Thursday.

Oil settled higher in volatile trading Thursday, pushed up by a collapsing U.S. dollar. After soaring to close to $114 a barrel, West Texas Intermediate crude settled up 10 cents, at $112.86, in futures trading in New York.

Brent North Sea crude oil fell 11 cents to settle at $125.02 a barrel on the Ice Futures exchange.

In futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, natural gas climbed 15.7 cents to settle at $4.63 per million British thermal units.

Gasoline for May delivery jumped 1.04 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $3.4298 a gallon, the highest settlement since July 14, 2008. Futures have risen 47 percent in the past year.

The Dollar Index fell to the lowest level since July 31, 2008. The index was down 0.5 percent to 73.139, its eighth straight daily decline.

Berry (BRY) (EPD) (CLR) (SHI) Close Up as Oil Settles at $112.21

Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Berry Petroleum (NYSE:BRY) and SINOPEC Shangai Petrochemical (NYSE:SHI) closed up Tuesday as oil for June delivery fell below the $112.21 it settled at, as the American Petroleum Institute reported at 4:30 PM EDT that U.S. crude-oil stockpiles soared 4.91 million barrels to 361 million. Apache was the only company of the four trading in the black Tuesday.

Oil for June delivery settled at $112.21 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil has risen 33 percent in the past year.

Prices dropped from the settlement after the American Petroleum Institute reported at 4:30 p.m. that U.S. crude-oil stockpiles soared 4.91 million barrels to 361 million. June oil was down 49 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $111.79 a barrel in electronic trading at 4:32 PM EDT.

Brent crude for June settlement on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange jumped 48 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $124.14 a barrel.

The dollar fell for a sixth day against the euro, equaling the longest losing streak since May 2009. Expectations are the Federal Reserve will continue to keep measures in to allegedly support the U.S. economy.

Gasoline climbed over 53 cents a gallon from January to March as unrest in Libya threatened its oil fields and helped push oil from $91 to $107 a barrel. The national average for gasoline is closing in on $3.90 a gallon. Diesel is at about $4.14.

Oil averaged $94.64 a barrel between January and March, compared with $78.89 in the same period last year.

Natural gas prices continue to stay low in comparison to three years ago. It's now trading at $4.38 per 1,000 cubic feet. In April 2008, natural gas contracts generated over twice that.

Buckeye (BPL) (TAT) (CLR) Close Mixed as Oil Prices Pull Back

Oil prices should keep climbing toward the highs of 2008 as growing demand isn't matched by additional supplies and the price jump has been slow to cut into consumption, as Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), TransAtlantic Petroleum (NYSE:TAT) and Buckeye Partners L.P. (NYSE:BPL) closed mixed Monday, April 25.

The front-month Brent crude-oil futures contract, the London benchmark, pulled back from a 2½-year high of $127 a barrel on April 11, amid concerns that soaring prices are hurting demand. It settled at $123.66 a barrel on Monday, up 5.4 percent so far in April. The front-month June contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange pulled back one cent to $112.28, still up 5.2 percent this month and 23 percent in 2011.

Benchmark crude for June delivery dropped a penny to settle at $112.28 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude fell 33 cents to settle at $123.66 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil was down 1.73 cents to settle at $3.1989 a gallon and gasoline futures increased a little less than a penny to settle at $3.2785 a gallon. Natural gas dropped 2.3 cents to $4.389 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Tesoro (TSO) (PQ) (CLR) (CRK) Close Mixed as Oil, Gas Continue to Rise

PetroQuest Energy (NYSE:PQ), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Comstock Resources (NYSE:CRK) and Tesoro Corporation (NYSE:TSO) closed mixed Thursday as oil and gas prices continue to move up.

Crude oil prices climbed above $112 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Friday while the U.S. dollar was up after three days of faltering.

The dollar index jumped 0.14 percent to 74.10, making up a little lost ground.

May delivery crude oil rose 80 cents in New York to $112.25 a barrel. Home heating oil fell 1.85 cents to $3.2174 a gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline was up 2.93 cents to $3.2777 a gallon.

Henry Hub natural gas prices gained 11.3 cents to $4.423 per million British thermal units.

According to the AAA, the national average price of unleaded gasoline rose to $3.848 a gallon Friday from Thursday's $3.84.

Tesoro Corporation closed Thursday at $27.99, falling $0.07, or 0.25 percent. Comstock Resources ended the day at $29.01, up $0.21, or 0.73 percent. Continental Resources closed at $68.72, rising $0.93, or 1.37 percent. PetroQuest Energy closed the session at $8.27, dropping $0.15, or 1.78 percent.