NEW YORK, United States — Oil prices retreated for a second day yesterday, as the Federal Reserve suggested it could do more to stimulate the economy.

Benchmark crude for November delivery fell 54 cents to settle at US$81.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Walter Zimmerman, chief technical analyst at the brokerage and analysis firm ICAP, says the two most important factors affecting energy prices are the stock market and the dollar. “It’s a very, very dramatic impact,” he said. “If the dollar goes down, energy prices will go up regardless of anything else. It costs the average American every time they fill up their tanks.”

On Tuesday the Fed released details of its September meeting. While still short on specifics, the central bank indicated that Chairman Ben Bernanke and colleagues have nearly agreed on what steps to take to boost the economy. The dollar fell again after the Fed minutes were released. If the Fed acts next month to buy government securities, as many expect it will, the dollar will be pushed lower.

Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service, and other analysts believe the price of oil already reflects whatever action the Fed may take, since traders began speculating about the Fed’s plans immediately after the September meeting.

Stocks initially lost some ground on Tuesday but rose a little after the Fed minutes came out. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up about 10 points. The NASDAQ and the S&P 500 were slightly higher as well.

In other Nymex trading in November contracts, heating oil fell 1.65 cents to settle at US$2.2625 a gallon, gasoline dropped 4.16 cents to settle at US$2.1239 a gallon and natural gas rose 2.8 cents to settle at US$3.629 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude fell 22 cents to settle at US$83.50 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.