Oil prices fell to below US$79 a barrel yesterday, as the strengthening US dollar outweighed news that the US economy grew again in the third quarter after contracting for a full year.

By afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for December delivery was down US$1.36 to US$78.51 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Natural gas for December delivery advanced 14.8 cents to US$5.21 per 1,000 cubic feet.