Crude oil prices finished the year not far from $80 a barrel in quiet trade.

US light crude for February delivery settled up 8 cents at $79.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on the last trading day of the year, after breaching $80 earlier in the session. Crude settled 2009 up nearly 80% from the same time in 2008.

Traders mulled a better than expected jobs report on Thursday. Weekly new claims for unemployment fell to 432,000, the lowest level since July 2008.

Gold for February rose $3.70 to settle at $1,096.20 an ounce in a thinly traded session and settled the year up 24%.

March silver added 4.3 cents to $16.845 an ounce. Silver gained 49% in 2009. Copper for March rose a touch to $3.3465 a pound, after rallying 140% over the year.