Against President Bashar

(Reuters) - Oil fell on Monday for the first time in four sessions, with Brent slipping towards $125 as weak Chinese exports raised fears about global demand and offset the support provided by a better outlook for the economy and Middle East supply concerns. Traders took profit on oil after last week's gains as China posted its largest trade deficit in at least a decade, fanning concerns that slowing exports from the world's second largest economy will lead to lower fuel demand. While the deficit raised questions over the global economy's appetite for its goods, China's crude imports and implied oil demand reached record levels in February. Brent crude fell 51 cents to $125.47 a barrel by 0732 GMT and U.S. crude was down 57 cents at $106.83. Brent's premium to U.S. crude was at $18.64 ...

(Reuters) - Brent crude oil rose above $116 per barrel to a six-month high on Tuesday as threats from Iran to ban exports to some European states stoked supply concerns, overshadowing fears that Greece's debt crisis was worsening. Brent's premium to U.S. crude oil stayed around $19 a barrel, near its highest since November, as a severe wintry weather spread across Europe and as simmering tensions between the West and Iran escalated. But Greece's wrangling over a bailout fund helped cap those gains. Front-month Brent touched $116.70 , up 77 cents and its highest since early August, before easing back to trade around $115.68 a barrel by 4:20 a.m. ET, down 25 cents. U.S. oil slipped 30 cents to $96.61. "The geopolitical events surrounding Iran and the Middle East and the severe cold ...

(Reuters) - Brent futures held steady near $116 on Tuesday, after settling at a six-month high in the previous session, due to a cold spell in Europe and supply concerns from the Middle East, while fears Europe's debt crisis was worsening weighed on the market. Brent's premium to U.S. oil stayed around $19 a barrel, near its highest since November, due to the weather and as the United States further tightening sanctions against Iran, stoking already simmering tensions in the region. But Greece's wrangling over a bailout fund helped cap those gains. Front-month Brent fell 16 cents to $115.77 a barrel by 0546 GMT, after gaining for five straight days. U.S. crude slipped 17 cents to $96.74. "The geopolitical events surrounding Iran and the Middle East and the severe cold weather sweeping ...

(Reuters) - Oil traded down near $114 a barrel on Monday as traders and investors worried that a failure to agree a deal with Greece for a second bailout would suppress demand in the euro zone, but renewed tensions with Iran kept a floor under prices. Greek coalition parties have yet to sign off an austerity package that will secure a second financing package from the euro zone and the International Monetary Fund, raising fears of a disorderly default. Analysts said this was putting pressure on most risk assets. "If no lending tranches are given to Greece, it would mean bankruptcy in March," said Michael Poulsen, an oil analyst at Global Risk Management. Front-month Brent crude was down 61 cents to $113.97 a barrel by 1319 GMT, ending four straight days of gains. Brent rose 2.8 percent ...

(Reuters) - European stocks edged up on Tuesday, catching the tailwind of a pre-holiday U.S. rally, while the euro was hamstrung by the prospect of a large Italian debt auction later in the week. Oil prices were buoyed by positive U.S. jobs and housing data late last week as well as the prospect of sanctions against Syria choking off production there. At 0920 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top European shares was up 0.4 percent at 993.98 points in thin trade. Stock markets in Britain, Hong Kong and Australia remained closed. Asian shares eased as investors squared positions before U.S. markets reopen after a long weekend, leaving the MSCI world equity index .MIWD00000PUS a touch higher on the day. "With U.S. and European players in holiday mood, there is no incentive except ...

(Reuters) - Brent crude stayed above $110 as Iran's escalating tensions with the West and a pact by euro zone ministers to ramp up the firepower of their bailout fund helped prices to hold on to the previous session's gains. But the positive outcome of Tuesday's meeting of euro zone ministers was negated by a failure to provide concrete details of how much the bailout fund would be boosted and Europe's likelihood of turning to the IMF for help. "It's interesting to note how little reaction we have seen, both in Brent and the spread between the two, to potential further disruptions in the Middle East, particularly with the Iranian invasion of the British embassy," said Michael McCarthy, chief markets strategist at CMC Markets. "It looks as if there will be political ...

(Reuters) - Brent crude rose above $109 on Tuesday as supply worries triggered by concerns over sanctions against Iran and Syria checked initial losses, while investors kept a watch on developments in Europe for further trading cues. All eyes are now on a meeting of euro zone finance ministers later in the day, at which they are expected to approve detailed rules for the region's 440 billion euro bailout fund that will clear the way for the facility to attract cash from private and public investors to its co-investment funds. The euro zone's debt crisis has become the biggest threat to the global economy and a break up of the currency zone can no longer be ruled out, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Monday, slashing its forecasts and urging the ECB ...

Brent crude fell on Friday on concerns that demand for oil will be hurt by Europe's spreading debt crisis that also weakened the euro against the dollar. U.S. oil prices rose after a choppy, holiday-shortened session that saw low-volume trading. A higher open for equities on Wall Street briefly provided a lift for oil, but U.S. stocks faded and finished lower a seventh straight session. .N Both Brent and U.S. crude posted their second consecutive weekly losses. The euro fell to more than seven-week lows against the dollar intraday, as disagreement on how to tackle the debt crisis drove borrowing costs to new euro-era highs and energy investors worried the problems will curb oil demand. Fueling investor uncertainty was the disagreement among policymakers over how to resolve the crisis, ...

(Reuters) - Crude oil markets diverged on Friday as worries about Europe's debt crisis weighed on Brent, while a stronger Wall Street open supported U.S. prices. U.S. shares rose as investors snapped up beaten-down stocks after Wall Street suffered six straight sessions of losses. But worries about the euro escalated following Italy's debt sale on Friday, as both short and longer term borrowing costs in Europe's third largest economy soared to euro lifetime highs. No relief was offered from Europe's leaders, who remained divided over the region's debt crisis as Germany's resolute opposition to a joint euro zone bond continued. "There are talks and talks, but nothing happens," said Thorbjoern Bak Jensen, an analyst at A/S Global Risk Management Ltd. Brent crude oil futures were 23 ...