Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

Long before the shale revolution, a vital contributor to U.S. oil production were stripper wells, small holes producing trickles of crude with the aid of iconic pumping machines known as nodding donkeys, such as the one shown here in 2012 in Los Angeles. With oil prices down 57 percent since June, these smallest of producers will be the first to succumb to the Great Oil Bust of 2015. T CREDIT: Bloomberg News photo by Patrick T. Fallon).

The Associated Press
Benchmark U.S. crude oil for August delivery fell 1 cent to settle at $40.62 a barrel Tuesday. Brent crude oil for September delivery dropped 2 cents to $43.08 a barrel.
Wholesale gasoline for August delivery rose 3 cents to $1.27 a gallon. August heating oil was little changed at $1.24 a gallon. August natural gas gained 5 cents to $1.88 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold for August delivery rose $16.40 to $1,809.90 an ounce, silver for September delivery added 12 cents to $18.70 an ounce and September copper rose 2 cents to $2.80 a pound.
The dollar rose to 107.53 Japanese yen from 107.30 yen. The euro fell to $1.1286 from $1.1317.