NEW YORK (Reuters) - US oil prices dropped more than $2 to a six-month low below $99 a barrel yesterday as dealers bet on a swift recovery of the nation's energy production after Hurricane Ike and the US government loaned oil to two refiners.

The losses add to a steady downtrend in oil prices since mid-July's peak of over $147 a barrel amid mounting evidence that high energy costs and a weakening economy are cutting deeply into fuel consumption.

Oil prices fell as low as $98.46 — the lowest since February 26.

The New York Mercantile Exchange opened a special energy trading session yesterday due to increased trader interest about Hurricane Ike, which slammed into the Houston energy hub Saturday leaving a quarter of US oil and refined fuel production idled and millions without power.