Oil prices fell in Asian trade today as fears eased of an imminent Western military strike against Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons, analysts said.
New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in October, was down $1.41 at $107.39 a barrel in mid-morning trade, and Brent North Sea crude for October shed $1.26 to $113.90.
Anticipation of a Western operation against Syria had driven the WTI contract to its highest level since May 2011 this week, while Brent also soared to its highest price in six months.
Although Syria is not a major oil producer, traders are nervous about a broader conflict in the crude-rich West Asian region, including neighbouring Iraq, which is becoming a major exporter.
“The fact of the matter is nothing has happened thus far with regards to Syria, and that has calmed the crude markets,” David Lennox, resource analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney, told AFP.
“WTI prices have also scaled down after latest figures showed a rise in US crude stockpiles, signalling the end of the busy driving season,” he said.
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.