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Oil prices fall on China demand fears, concentrate on Mideast talks

Oil prices alleviated in trading on Monday as worries of weaker demand in top oil importer China weighed on market sentiment while financiers focused on the progress of ceasefire talks in the Middle East, which might reduce supply risks.

Brent crude futures dropped 45 cents, or 0.56%, to $ 79.23 per barrel by 0646 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate unrefined futures slid 58 cents, or 0.76%, to $76.07 a. barrel.

Both benchmarks fell nearly 2% last Friday as financiers. tempered expectations of demand growth from China, however ended the. week largely the same from a week previously after a batch of U.S. information recently revealed inflation was moderating and retail. costs was robust.

Consistent concerns about sluggish need in China caused a. sell-off, said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, president of NS Trading, a. system of Nissan Securities, including another aspect was the. approaching end of the peak driving season in the United States.

Still, stress in the Middle East and the escalation of. the Russian-Ukraine war, which present supply threats, are. underpinning the marketplace, he said.

Customizeds information over the weekend revealed that China's diesel and. fuel exports fell dramatically in July, showing lower crude. processing levels in the month due to the fact that of weak profit margins.

On Thursday, information likewise revealed China's economy lost momentum. in July, with new home rates falling at the fastest speed in. 9 years, industrial output slowing down and joblessness rising.

That has actually stired worries among traders about a slump in. demand from China, where refineries greatly cut unrefined processing. rates last month on warm fuel demand.

On The Other Hand, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken showed up in. Tel Aviv on Sunday on another Middle East tour to promote a. ceasefire in Gaza, however Hamas raised doubts about the mission by. implicating Israel of undermining his efforts.

The mediating countries - Qatar, the United States and Egypt. - have actually so far stopped working to narrow enough distinctions to reach an. agreement in months of on-off negotiations, and violence. continued unabated in Gaza on Sunday.

(source: Reuters)