Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for February delivery rose 78 cents to $74.22 per barrel Wednesday. Brent crude for February delivery rose 47 cents to $79.70 per barrel.

Wholesale gasoline for January delivery was unchanged at $2.20 a gallon. January heating oil fell 1 cent to $2.71 a gallon. January natural gas fell 5 cents to $2.45 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold for February delivery fell $4.40 to $2,047.70 per ounce. Silver for March delivery rose 31 cents to $24.63 per ounce, and March copper rose 1 cent to $3.91 per pound.

The dollar fell to 143.83 Japanese yen. The euro fell to $1.0946 from $1.0976.