Oil falls as uncertainty hits energy markets

Benchmark crude for February delivery fell 43 cents to $92.66 per barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract closed up 17 cents at $93.09 a barrel on the Nymex on Friday after the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration reported a much bigger drop in the nation's crude supplies than analysts expected.

Separately, crude stocks fell by about 12 million barrels for the week ending Dec. 28, according to the American Petroleum Institute.