National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $4.761; Month Ago: $4.204; Year Ago: $3.042. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $5.581; Month Ago: $5.370; Year Ago: $3.186.

Futures in New York were little changed Friday and poised for a 3.7 percent weekly gain after the greenback slumped to a three-year low. A rebound in stocks from the U.S. to Asia is also boosting confidence the markets are stabilizing. West Texas Intermediate for March delivery added 7 cents to $61.41 on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 6:13 a.m. local time. Total volume traded was about 31 percent above the 100-day average. Brent for April settlement climbed 19 cents to trade at $64.52 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark traded at a $3.22 premium to WTI for the same month.

“The rise in oil prices has mainly been caused by the freezing polar vortex hitting the U.S., firing up heating demand, and spurring concern about a potential impact on oil production and trade,” said Jens Naervig Pedersen, an analyst at Danske Bank A/S in Copenhagen. Oil has risen for two years running as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia led a coalition of oil producers in cutting output. Prices have also been boosted by stoppages at pipelines in the U.K. and Libya. However, they are now at levels that are expected to help U.S. shale producers ramp up drilling, unlocking more crude and undermining OPEC’s efforts. Click Read More below for additional information.