Crude oil prices fell to close to $77 per barrel Wednesday as stock equities fell hard on Wall Street.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration added pressure to the commodity, as U.S. stock piles increased modestly, up 0.8 million barrels in the week ending Oct. 23.

The price of light, sweet crude dropped $2.38 cents to $77.11 per barrel.

Heating oil prices fell 0.0034 cents to $1.9935 per gallon. Reformulated gasoline prices dropped 0.0039 cents to $1.9825 per gallon. Natural gas prices added 0.001 cents to $4.29 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the average price of unleaded gasoline rose Wednesday. Prices at the pump averaged $2.683 per gallon Wednesday, up from Tuesday's $2.675, AAA said.