Home Industry Energy Oil prices ease on China demand fears, focus on Middle East talks That has stoked worries among traders about a slump in demand from China, where refineries sharply cut crude processing rates last month on tepid fuel demand by Reuters August 19, 2024 Image credit: Getty Images Oil prices eased in early Asian trading on Monday as fears of weaker demand in top oil importer China weighed on market sentiment while investors focus on the progress of ceasefire talks in the Middle East, which could reduce supply risks. Brent crude futures dropped 13 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to $79.55 per barrel by 0032 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures slid 13 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to $76.52 a barrel. Both benchmarks fell nearly 2 per cent last Friday as investors tempered expectations of demand growth from China, but ended the week largely unchanged from a week earlier after a batch of US data last week showed inflation was moderating and retail spending was robust. “Persistent concerns about slow demand in China led to a sell-off,” said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, president of NS Trading, a unit of Nissan Securities, adding another factor was the approaching end of the peak driving season in the United States. “Still, tensions in the Middle East and the escalation of the Russian-Ukraine crisis, which pose supply risks, are underpinning the market,” he said. On Thursday, data from China showed its economy lost momentum in July, with new home prices falling at the fastest pace in nine years, industrial output slowing and unemployment rising. That has stoked worries among traders about a slump in demand from China, where refineries sharply cut crude processing rates last month on tepid fuel demand. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday on another Middle East tour to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, but Hamas raised doubts about the mission by accusing Israel of undermining his efforts. The mediating countries – Qatar, the US and Egypt – have so far failed to narrow enough differences to reach an agreement in months of on-off negotiations, and violence continued unabated in Gaza on Sunday. Read: Oil edges up on Middle East concerns, US crude stockpile drop Tags Brent crude China Gaza middle east oil You might also like IMF says escalation of Middle East conflict poses economic risks Oil prices jump as Iran-Israel missile strikes fuel market jitters Saudi Arabia ditches $100 crude target to win back market share Oil prices slide on prospect of Saudi Arabia raising output