Oil prices seesaw in early Asian trade

Singapore, March 11 (AFP/APP): Oil prices seesawed in early Asian trade Wednesday, a day after a strong rebound from a major rout triggered by the start of a price war between Riyadh and Moscow. West Texas Intermediate fluctuated between small losses and gains, with the price hovering around $34 a barrel, while Brent crude was up around 0.5 per cent at $37 a barrel. Prices had surged over 10 per cent Tuesday, a day after plunging almost a third in their biggest one-day drop since the Gulf War in the 1990s. Despite the rebound, investors remain on edge after energy titan Saudi Aramco indicated Tuesday it would flood the market with crude — and Russia’s energy minister hit back, saying it could also ramp up production. Monday’s route was triggered by Riyadh driving through the biggest price cuts in two decades at the weekend, following Moscow’s refusal to agree to reduce production. Saudi Arabia and others from oil-exporting cartel OPEC led a push last week to reduce output further to shore up prices amid slumping demand due to the new coronavirus. But Moscow, the world’s second-biggest oil producer, blocked the move — signalling an alliance with OPEC that was aimed … Continue reading Oil prices seesaw in early Asian trade