Published December 31, 2015 2:48pm EST | Updated December 31, 2015 3:04pm EST

U.S. Oil Benchmark Slumps More Than 30% In 2015

West Texas Intermediate oil futures for February delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 44 cents, or 1.2%, to end at $37.04 a barrel Thursday. For the year, the U.S. benchmark fell 30.5%, marking the first time crude has posted losses in consecutive years since 1998. Oil futures were slammed in 2015 by a continued global glut of crude and uncertain demand.