Traders anticipate draw down in U.S. oil and natural gas stockpiles NEW YORK, March 13 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices held close to $93 per barrel Wednesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange as traders expect bullish weekly inventory reports. The Energy Information Administration's weekly stockpile report due Wednesday afternoon is expected to show an inventory drop for crude oil, as is Thursday's inventory report on natural gas. Overnight, West Texas Intermediate crude oil for April delivery gained 3 cents to $92.76 per barrel. Gasoline lost 0.82 cents to settle at $3.1496 a gallon. Home heating oil lost 0.43 cents to reach $2.9517 a gallon. Natural gas added 2.1 cents to hit $3.658 per million British thermal units. At the pump, the national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline rose from Tuesday's $3.703 per gallon to $3.706, the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said.