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Oil slipped to just below US$96 ($125) on Monday, ending 2007 with the biggest annual gain this decade.
US crude futures settled US2c lower at US$95.98 a barrel as the dollar gained against the euro, capping a year which saw prices swing from a low under US$50 to over US$99. Oil peaked on November 21 at an all-time high of US$99.29 a barrel on winter supply concerns, the weak dollar and rising flows of speculative money.
Geopolitical concerns boosted prices. Dealers were watching turmoil in nuclear-armed Pakistan after Benazir Bhutto's assassination, amid Iran's nuclear ambitions.