Oil Falls as US Recession Fears Offset Mideast Tensions

A man pumps gas into a vehicle at a petrol station on October 2, 2023 in Alhambra, California. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)

Oil prices fell on Monday as fears of a recession in the United States, the world's top oil consumer, offset concerns that escalating tensions in the Middle East may affect supplies from the largest producing region.
Brent crude futures inched down 4 cents, or 0.1%, to $76.77 a barrel by 0035 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $73.39 a barrel, down 13 cents, or 0.2%.
Prices were supported by persistent fighting in Gaza with an Israeli airstrike hitting two schools and killing at least 30 people on Sunday, Palestinian officials said, the day after a round of talks in Cairo ended without result.
Israel and the United States are bracing for a serious escalation in the region after Iran and its allies Hamas and Hezbollah pledged to retaliate against Israel for the killings of Hamas' leader Ismail Haniyeh and Fuad Shukr, a top Hezbollah military commander last week.
"If this conflict intensifies, crude exports could be impacted," ANZ analysts said in a note.
Despite worries about escalating tensions in the Middle East, Brent tumbled more than 3% on Friday to settle at its lowest since January. WTI, meanwhile, fell more than 3% to settle at its lowest since June.
Both contracts marked their fourth straight week of losses, their biggest losing streaks since November.
In the U.S., the number of operating oil rigs were steady at 482 last week, Baker Hughes said in a weekly report.
Weak economic data across the globe weighed on oil prices, on concerns that a sluggish global economic recovery would dampen fuel consumption.
Data released last week showed that the US economy added fewer jobs than expected last month while factories across the US, China and Europe grappled with tepid demand.
Slumping diesel consumption in China, the world's biggest contributor to oil demand growth, is weighing on global oil prices.