Oil prices were mixed on Monday with traders pegging cautious hopes for a rebound from last week’s losses on progress in talks on ending the U.S.-China trade war, against a backdrop of global economic slowdown weighing on future oil demand.
Brent crude futures (LCOc1) edged down 1 cent to $58.36 a barrel by 0656 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude (CLc1) was at $52.85, up 4 cents.
Both contracts ended last week with a more-than-5% decline after dismal manufacturing data from the United States and China, as the lingering row between the world’s top economies hurts global growth and raises the risk of recession.
U.S. and Chinese officials will meet in Washington on Oct. 10-11 in the next, much-anticipated fresh effort to work out a deal.
On the supply side, a faster-than-expected resumption in Saudi Arabia’s production after a Sept. 14 attack on key production facilities also exerted downward pressure on oil prices, although the Middle East remained tense.
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