NYMEX crude oil tops $96 a barrel NEW YORK, May 8 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices topped $96 per barrel Wednesday in New York with China reporting April crude oil imports up 3.5 percent from March. West Texas Intermediate crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange added 99 cents to $96.55 per barrel. Gasoline prices gained 3.13 cents to $2.8583 a gallon. Home heating oil lost 0.29 cents to $2.9177 a gallon. Natural gas added 14.8 cents to $3.975 per million British thermal units.