Crude oil prices fell closer to $50 per barrel Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange as sweeping stock losses pointed to weaker demand, UPI reported. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 5.07 percent Wednesday, closing at less than 8,000 for the first time in six years, the bear market signaling weaker economies could continue to undermine commodity prices. Crude oil prices fell sharply, down $3.09 overnight to $50.53 per barrel. Heating oil prices fell 0.0503 cents to $1.7094 per gallon in spite of winter temperatures in much of the U.S. Northeast and Midwest. Reformulated blendstock gasoline fell 0.072 cents to $1.035 per gallon. Natural gas prices also fell, down 0.086 cents to $6.657 per million British thermal units. At the pump, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $2.02 Thursday, down from Wednesday's $2.047 a gallon, AAA said.