Winter is coming. The economy is in crisis. People are fearful. So why should we hope oil prices don’t fall too far?

Winter is coming. The economy is in crisis. People are fearful. So why should we hope oil prices don’t fall too far?

Federal regulators have subpoenaed recent trading records from several Nymex traders as part of as part of a widening investigation into the sharp rise in oil prices.

PARIS — Crude oil futures prices fell Tuesday as declining stock prices and the soft dollar signaled some investor concern over the United States government bailout of Wall Street and the market moved on after technical factors provoked a surge on Monday.

The Dow Jones industrials closed down 372 points, or 3.3 percent, at 11,015.69 after spending the day deep in negative territory.

Oil prices posted their biggest one-day gain as investors dashed into commodities on concerns over the bailout.

Oil prices spiked as anxiety over the proposed bailout of the financial system battered the dollar and sent investors scrambling for safe-haven assets.

Ignoring a presidential veto threat, the House on Thursday approved measures aimed at curbing speculation in oil and other commodity markets.

United Airlines said that it was on track to lose $544 million on contracts in the futures market it used to hedge against rising fuel prices this quarter.

A regulatory report released Thursday shows that index funds actually were cutting their stake in the oil market as prices were soaring.