As the dollar index rose sharply, up by 0.47 percent, crude oil prices settled under $79 per barrel Monday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

After dropping by 80 cents, April delivery of light, sweet crude settled at $78.75 per barrel on Monday after hitting a weekend high of $80.62.

Heating oil futures added 0.0055 cents to $2.029 per gallon. Reformulated gasoline prices gained 0.0074 cents to $2.163 per gallon. Henry Hub natural gas prices rose 0.012 cents to $4.691 per million British thermal units.

According to the reports of AAA at the pump, the national average price of unleaded gasoline was $2.705 per gallon, up from Sunday's $2.704. (With Inputs from Agencies)