Oil drops to 8-month low

NEW YORK -- The price of oil hit an eight-month low Thursday as hopes dimmed for a quick solution to Europe's financial crisis.

Here's a breakdown of how energy prices traded:

_ On the New York Mercantile Exchange:

Crude: lost $2.52, or 3.1 percent, to end the day at $77.69 per barrel;

Gasoline: fell by less than a penny to $2.6142 per gallon;

Heating oil: lost 4.18 cents to end at $2.5519 per gallon;

Natural gas: fell by 7.6 cents to end at $2.722 per 1,000 cubic feet in New York.

_ On the ICE futures exchange:

Brent crude: fell by $2.14 to finish at $91.36 per barrel.