With the dollar index dropping 0.51 percent, crude oil prices settled at less than $77 per barrel Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

It has been reported that equity markets closed higher in Europe, mixed in Asia and flat on Wall Street.

Dropping $1.07 from a prior settlement, July delivery crude oil prices went down to $76.60 per barrel.

Heating oil prices for July delivery added 0.0259 cents to $2.136 per gallon.

It was also reported that reformulated gasoline blend-stock prices gained 0.0138 cents to $2.159 per gallon.

Henry Hub natural gas prices added 0.149 cents to $5.127 per million British thermal units.

According to the reports of AAA, the national average price for unleaded regular gasoline at the pump rose to $2.707 per gallon on Thursday from Wednesday's $2.70. (With Inputs from Agencies)