By Claudia Assis
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Crude-oil futures settled nearly 2% lower Wednesday as investors eschewed investments considered risky on fears of a global slowdown amid a failed bond auction for Germany. Oil for January delivery lost $1.84, or 1.9%, to end at $96.17 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Mixed macroeconomic data from the U.S. and China, and a higher U.S. dollar contributed to oil's fall.
