Oil slips below $84 in Asia as traders eye US demand

SINGAPORE— Oil prices have dipped below US$84 a barrel in Asia, extending losses from the previous day as traders looked for signs that US crude demand is catching up with a growing economy. Benchmark crude for May delivery was down 35 cents Tuesday to $83.85 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 92 cents to settle at $84.20 on Monday. In other Nymex trading in May contracts, heating oil fell 0.50 cent to $2.232 a gallon, and gasoline dropped 0.34 cent to $2.338 a gallon. Natural gas skidded 3.2 cents to $4.230 per 1,000 cubic feet. In London, Brent crude was down 2 cents at $86.81 on the ICE futures exchange. — AP