JFIFddDucky<090101) -- NEW YORK, Jan. 1, 2009 -- Traders work at the New York Mercantile Exchange in New York, the United States, Dec. 31, 2008. Crude prices jumped on Wednesday, the last trading day of 2008, on concerns that a slowdown in U.S. domestic refinery activity could lead to tight fuel supplies. Light, sweet crude for February delivery rose 5.57 U.S. dollars to settle at 44.60 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, February Brent crude rose 5.44 dollars to 45. 59 dollars a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange. Oil prices surged to a record high above 147 dollars in July and then plunged over 100 dollars a barrel amid the global economic slowdown. (Hou Jun) (hdt) (Credit Image: Xinhua/ZUMA Press\/Global Look Press)XinhuaAdobed       , !1AQaq"2B#3Rbr4CSs$%5& ?ϱcON[,<(,?azGAUNI?Gu7連P>vonOʲq$PkD 鯍lMw\F>5Z2 8< ]YΉz7B7 f0,{$q\+!Fg[yeN>Q$Lx^*b=szdѭ%>"߾o<]=R,A H3;=drOmYT~$1oevیW 06ʉY4wf' X{l&DϕnŊ$0c驐q/Pރ XA \ܟ΁Z\IBAfbx.Bn2|Sʀnl*blґn#LԌ!Jhk9lDCDžB G1"bSV,Int X6v"P $9j1;'j߱2ho˱g`w!U UZ 7n٤ ,4mOKAcnX.#09Kn {[ʃZă8O $UyP1> lRtcG{Qfc^Dմ2T[RyA(c49c‚nCU8 T`}6l@cJaDK8uh47i}omW龞6X!IP:"zڷn| >(f_f[GļeB=Vϴ9e%AoH#@ݻN4  r(3 Y%KWGPA qL5׃ۑ橊AN4mZ ΀ ی~PoD|<g&#P}#e[3I~C*,|ƒöswm8Ӫ|!ӨؐP/n8lIb>C\qԻ+<ky,D#PweLjI*΢4X jx+0'ZDXoTem`vP@fOAM}q&p_>vxW{lO*M$a@#96ƃˎʂjdž&D<4Ѹ eٷݮcʲ2܀{ځ2N1}ԎP1nv e݇G_P}A~eƁr<f1 S,(3ۥŖA!;"TEuhh3]3~s ;P2_ho1vYԇp ƿ-@eǗjL]HOV X%HL9:\ ƀFٔ!@sƀN X[[Ǎ<ic8ogy>4A{++)6҃^]ݹqI K&$xhN>߷c` X[_: O@B33M]DtʆΧCSC1nAj5vwimb"gfYG?k;n%Ź8@kb;Z|MĖa˫K3A 颮"Z 0 h⣃apvY7rؖoAS4]GRH_o{FL,F̞i6g1U<uIn u)(3"ȅۤuqvECNʃ(Ÿxc?'Vۻ$?A+yPA?iglD[.'d2;kn9m{|sm\:Q{z ϶9Y.3zJ Τ^ͷ $SN1*PgOu&\7& u-{طM Op0u[_}vGhsP;cw&!duoNԍӢ70Re0&)P]ݳ$%\~Tr8DZs>NO~Apwр6 i:G@յEkMd|X 6AvvAwL Qۘ䐫bh?,㇕!$PN$Snw(%PqѥM* L Od,A`*u͚db>QK݆9c8'Nt1ki!x\y1"}7ր)/ܘy/O)J% [[(4-rڸcqw \IL}=,Bم&?}-˵Xflkg`C-֫n<#Yq @M)D m9E,KfƒBeٱNLޓI/OC8BRBtdʞl xYQuX$f\h J8ċ" cm>?h}.ݛ!AEߨy̪UACM#JCX%'qA'btրx᜜h {\\@.?G+GJq=<ڃqOjw7궣^ ezi&:untcI"*Sp EFLؚLaΑ^}˞$t4wQ6|fPj<&A01Lx؏~oˇ5Lt Ժv('wS>@}oEˋx_ ~(B>"l_Dmd3HY[ !pd8_a%}㌾O E*qU ( w?jc,b>؝RdIf6 ?D]ON7˷(n@A >xpښ̹k-Afz˞ZSɑ'<>5 ؚ/;ہkٷ6+q(<|oN%oV6پcz Q괏cF7}H{fIv7aAkʁiٲ)cě"FP9^[nN>~&&$EPTxH rch$q6xF>4!ػl JmM '1'Mt'ƃ$J jPr $`#rf7fME9IRU`t辄X ] !ybBmx\~(Ѿ8g_MmiռU^DT*P;_sŸ1m,>DZ (:0±+&X[kEUD6""I!4 ۯnC40 #|מ'{@h~y "!GR7i)loLs@`,}"TOkBr 6zّ Iw/٘Na|WߛNד?#3 Ӻrƙ!,LՒoia[s;Gn< fʙR(]Y}@ʕ2ȌxAu\Xh#n \( Z%V /!{EtX0AZnwEu |0Y:'Íq>FGxPYcNc4 82r-ւ|-ֈ6T.˳0:KVDPz۝MhccZPsd)ui,W.!jh(w_oa ?6{ E0/P\Pcݏ ӡ(5LHXTkc@V=iw@x"3;KdB6=DDkҶakP~ܛUQ-j sɎ10yA!ukχ,@c(wE[ϏĖF^tH_Bh,n4r n,LC\oƂ}U}9Q})PQ[ZۛKHM 8</J}.㫅ÚNL1ANٙ^lI;:+{EDQ|x@i@o˷Ӆ1 {(([sIwlĒ3rUao}3*I6eԅ n=zzk)YѧJؔN56]gUMK&6zk^ 9[dQ):ߠ΀̛ @HZ#7BI,伵[;37p-UՈbhY3B{{64`e<7ߗ#~\(gnn+#uoIڵҠ1@[ f@.Ez?WBb(q$[M/j pwlJ jԦP3`N>A}rMp[ciOZ%,"PqnT.0U(>fe 4xt!5! b`KY/Rぽ!*YX溭t 12|G*l46#Uq_E6a4chzYr6-dg?ƴ?m}7XL#@ӐvRN#qXX'flwmLM%o[/vm!*hMenv(\|LpD4!}w]8u:M^2tE#{t܏ʁ;uیb[ύᵴL7+4݁U(M ah#RB іRmɠ2Y0~<-{ømRaF~c6  <}ܻe`Un~V%zAU?/h PճVs _sH~@Q{0n Ee)M0R ^{3#yCr41 ~ (ϯ#:"DcMx;ӈ2xZ00C"+u,(i~*䞖f/0s&7 {vecah=^y.75Ӡuz { .`p4&Ib BZ-=N+Xܚ%ƃj1 qcArL|YW wܓ/>a~tVœÀ3rO@ě2icv'K r%-N:T5o qdjQ><X *_΁)rΚc)zBMNS{(יB,ɑ&R!x  =+Iǐ`QHY؃fHٳn̑F!Y b P@6#POqDPyPZB=PX/X{, zLzdAtngʂndopV.@q`KXs31I#4\ăorRG6Vt,Qnyv4}99ڟf)puQτ!a I*&`'@{?z~êcdk(,BdԒʹPnjCTs>Ŋaʂۻd 9NI 9_x ,VN<(&MIWy[?RU@.NZK'P.F~rfCpS(2pY;_MI<*A# 9ǝ'iSé>A?t}_tXw>H -@++-}}IF("l4Qß*ZxrOQ -.ARykdbD8A()O H)d0j )XRnmA?j'f !AC3elC1xoݪg1>9/68S6$_C@cOQ -som\K0qE1' ?ۍAkz [栥>VG:± 4HIE7ʀiIp:r,9Y߶9"kZT7 {'76oq\Lm<(9}X5M;@MdNHnt !A~7(1 vMTjMc4 M€sp j#kRS4;hE{+ @o2F~4 =Y31ƃ7KX@oɨ> GE6B:гk}nLÏ {h#&ʘ*?eʈ&t%Aṉ@ag~1hԍn8Pdn80[u,mHܫh*gpJR6A~{P Iձ#"  C8@cl~PfKj~&(:6i*pcPx!ccmIә'@ڽأvPǥ'ϓ#:H*kPI#=΃1h;i’m{Ph]."}e8VJ xtTl/ʂVN2F+ N!7p}:%{PiK{hA@F4`Y\_VYM;P_4tϊћV`8΂2ˬ QHB hP):lGk 0X%Y3z f#HR09 Zt>/ )Ҁ~1ߪ%{^64YG+asWV3sefL*ְ&|2( M@װnUUKq<>ÈA)$q򠷃$?1v6s9l.|mAv,О g'u !xBֽAůA6<4mR!VB?ssLy7j q(YOH?ڀS}P$No;S^@ KuE ,-AeD\-fD2tOf3>HP܁ƂvٕcFJtX]qpڡn/ N>F|Mr m o!Ap}1^2.{WfXX9d7ۻsoA4@UHP0ơl}NO_|oh1N).b%ܳԦdhhd%#4`? &Ҷk[@öz^\cʋ:P'wF17( <^x „4J [{0P96:A@ sH搓oiuPOkk^9 kP.YyT949*1dBȋߜL7-Ȑ( cHP-k^r "=U" k{ƚK iG=+_ƃe{'ufGx4 _i_qn[dBܭ6 J@CSƒ@p~+Ԅ|&נ^/[$B2%Qf"y'T,qtE4d7i@A&~#* AR4ɸ9-+ӑrGDg "PO z}h-\VA>!E\@+-fghdf~υ7`c'SAOfAՠX40(oƀFI]MZfUPMiAac;v/H>f}5HQh/@L<lv,IK= XiZWOoǷ =jK@yP5>?HUKt>Tc5esXqe@PX7\T%.3n`Fvdp ۑ {w*Wl'(n6>| ّ#XXt 1'R/ʂϧAS~/E!6PHR? 2B/x)IGAz4H8 {4m|T[pdfFC"?QXÉ} II#:?}nݯ;RӈrA ֠Pަ.Hs:|GSA 6P-خӨoe%>4zr@, >}vkntq~TdKKAcp?e) c& He0\n( ٹyPR b($& W78]<n[UAVGl*α2@H4]y3cGIP*ПLUփ.-@;:A$%~y$^2n( /,n3(tb@ʂhg†+ .