BUSINESS MEMO: CRUDE PRICE UP

Crude oil prices raced to their highest level in 10 years Wednesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange and analysts said they may go much higher if OPEC doesn't step up production significantly, and soon.

For consumers, that could translate into pricier gasoline and heftier home heating bills this winter.

With U.S. crude supplies hovering near 24-year lows and a world market thirsty for more oil, it took only speculation about the weekly industry snapshot of domestic supplies to ignite the market and send prices 3 percent higher into record territory.