Oil stalled under the landmark $100 a barrel mark on Thursday, ending lower after remarks by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke fanned worries about economic growth.

Gold ended higher but a slightly steadier dollar depleted its momentum without the expected $850-an-ounce test in futures trade at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Nymex December crude settled down 91 cents, or 0.9%, at $95.46 a barrel, missing Wednesday’s $98.62 record high.

Crude prices have soared since August on the decline in the dollar, robust demand and tight supplies with trade becoming increasingly volatile approaching $100 a barrel.

It is now nearing the inflation-adjusted peak of $101.70 set in 1980 in the aftermath of the Iranian revolution.

December gold rose $4.00 to $837.50 an ounce, topping 20 cents below Wednesday’s 28-year record at $848. Futures hit a record high of $875 on Jan. 21, 1980.

Spot bullion’s late price in New York was $832.10/$832.85, off from $833.00/$833.80 on Wednesday, when it hit a 28-year high of $845.40, just below its all-time high of $850 set in 1980.

Gold is up more than 30% on the year, with troubles in the U.S. credit market and worries over global geopolitics and banking sending investors into safe havens, keen to hedge against a falling dollar.

Bernanke told U.S. lawmakers that the Fed predicted U.S. economic growth will “slow noticeably” in the fourth quarter of 2007 and the first half of 2008 because of credit market turmoil and the likelihood of an intensifying downturn in the housing market.

The dollar was last trading at $1.4676 per euro, down from $1.4643 late on Wednesday. It touched a record low of $1.4730 on Wednesday.

The Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index of 19 commodity futures fell 0.16%.

Comex copper for December delivery finished down 5.50 cents, or about 1.7%, at $3.2040. Earlier, it hit its lowest level since Aug. 22 at $3.1825 a pound.

At the Chicago Board of Trade, December wheat fell 25 3/4 cents to $7.62 per bushel.

It plumbed two-month lows on long liquidation and a low number for wheat in USDA’s weekly export sales report.

But corn and soybean futures rose, as did the ICE December arabica contract in New York, which settled up 1.45 cents at $1.2190 per pound.