The price of North Slope oil sold on West Coast open markets hit a record high for the second day in a row, closing Wednesday at $123.53 a barrel, up $1.69 for the day.

The U.S. natural gas price, at the Lower 48's Henry Hub, was $11.07 per million BTU on Wednesday, down 5 cents from Tuesday's price.

Gold prices closed at $869.60 per ounce today on the New York Mercantile Exchange, down $6.40 for the day.