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- Russia says US cruise missile test ‘regrettable’
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- Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat
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- PM Johnson calls on Germany and France to compromise on Brexit
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Saturday, 21 August 2021 (YJC)_Oil prices closed out their biggest week of losses in more than nine months with another down day on Friday, as investors sold futures in anticipation of weakened fuel demand worldwide due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The crude market has now posted seven consecutive days of losses. Numerous nations worldwide are responding to the rising infection rate due to the coronavirus Delta variant by adding travel restrictions to cut off the spread.
China has imposed stricter disinfection methods at ports, causing congestion, nations including Australia have ratcheted up travel restrictions, and global jet fuel demand is softening after improving for most of the summer.
Brent crude fell 8% on the week, settling down $1.27, or 1.9%, to $65.18 a barrel, its lowest since April and down about 8% for the week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for September settled down $1.37, or 2.2%, to $62.32 a barrel on Friday, to lose more than 9% for the week.
China, the world's largest crude importer, has imposed new restrictions with its "zero tolerance" coronavirus policy, which is affecting shipping and global supply chains. The United States and China have also imposed flight-capacity restrictions.
Several U.S. companies have delayed return-to-office plans. Apple Inc , the largest U.S. company by market value, is delaying the return of its workers until early 2022, Bloomberg reported.
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