Crude Oil Prices Plunge $6 On Tuesday

Crude oil tumbled the most in three years on concern that a slower U.S. economy will curtail demand for oil and gasoline.

Oil futures dropped, and U.S. stocks retreated as investors lost confidence in the government's rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which fell more than 30 percent each. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, in testimony to the Senate Banking Committee, said risks to growth and inflation have risen.

``What we're looking at here is a potential banking run which we have not seen since the Great Depression, something truly systematic throughout the banking system,'' said Daniel Ahn, energy analyst at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in New York. ``If the D word shows up, if it's depression not recession anymore, then that could really impact demand and prices.''