Gas pump prices drifted lower, with the national average for a gallon of regular at $2.81, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That's almost two cents lower than a week ago and 14 cents higher than a year ago.

The SpendingPulse gasoline demand report for last week showed drivers continued to shy away from the pump. Retail gas consumption was down 1.7 percent from the previous week and 2.7 percent from the same week a year ago.

The dollar made slight gains against the euro, making crude priced in dollars more expensive for investors holding other currencies.

"It seems that the U.S. dollar continues to be strongly correlated with the oil market, as the recent U.S. dollar weakness has helped oil prices to remain fairly strong above $80 per barrel area, amid these fragile economic conditions," said analysts at Sucden Financial in London.

Stock markets were little changed at the end of the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished about five points higher. The NASDAQ and the S&P 500 were a bit higher as well. A surprise loss at U.S. Steel for the third quarter and concern about weak demand for steel used in cars, appliances and housing drove down steelmaker shares. U.S. Steel, Arcelor Mittal and AK Steel all closed lower.