On Monday, oil quotes are steadily rising after a significant decline in the results of last week. The current Brent quote is $81.28 per barrel. The minimum of last week was marked at $78. North American WTI crude is trading near $76.50 per barrel after falling to $73.20 last week. Support for prices today was provided by concerns about the prospects for oil demand in China, where the number of COVID-19 diseases has sharply increased after the lifting of quarantine restrictions. Experts note that the increase in economic activity in China is the main factor that can push oil demand to growth. At the same time, serious uncertainty remains regarding the timing of the return of the PRC economy to normal activity. In addition, there are also concerns about a downturn in the global economy in the context of the ongoing tightening of monetary policy by the world's largest central banks, which also supports the oil market. The decline in oil prices last week was caused by the strengthening of the US dollar, falling natural gas prices, as well as the risks of recession in the world. In Europe, there is a fairly warm winter, which leads to cheaper gas. And this, in turn, weakens expectations that consumers will switch from gas to oil this winter.
