NEW YORK, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Crude oil prices rose on Thursday after earlier losses as a steady stock market performance alleviated worries about dampening consumer demand caused by the slowdown in economic growth.

    On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light sweet crude for delivery in October closed 57 cents higher at 69.83 dollars per barrel. In London, the price of Brent North Sea crude for October delivery settled 1.16 dollars higher at 69.86 dollars per barrel.

    September gasoline rose 3.42 cents to 1.9232 dollars a gallon, while heating oil rose by 1.27 cents a gallon to close at 1.9610 dollars in September.

    Natural gas futures, which fell Wednesday to an 11-month low, edged up 4.4 cents to 5.622 dollars per 1,000 cubic feet.

    Experts say despite the threat of hurricanes, the energy markets have fallen recently as many investors bet that credit might be tightening so as to stifle growth. The winding down of the summer peak for driving and air-conditioning also contributed to the fall of energy prices.

    Despite the rebound, crude is still down nearly 3 percent from last Friday. Gasoline has dropped 5.7 percent and natural gas slumped nearly 20 percent.