Oil Prices Plunge Again

Saudis, Russians argue about oil production amid coronavirus fears
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 8, 2020 7:03 PM CDT
Oil Prices Take Another Plunge
In this Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, file photo, a flame burns at the Shell Deer Park oil refinery in Deer Park, Texas.   (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Oil prices are plunging amid worries that an OPEC dispute will lead an economy weakened by COVID-19 to be awash in an oversupply of crude, the AP reports. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $8.77, or 19.3%, to $36.50, as of 7:23pm Eastern time on Sunday after earlier touching its lowest price since early 2016. Benchmark US crude fell $8.11 to $33.17. The dramatic losses follow a 10.1% drop for US oil on Friday, which was its biggest loss in more than five years. Prices are falling as Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other oil-producing countries argue how much to cut production in order to prop up prices. Demand is falling as people cut back on travel around the world. The worry is that the new coronavirus will slow economies sharply, meaning even less demand.

It's been a brutal and dizzying couple weeks for financial markets worldwide. The US stock market is down 12.2% since setting its record last month on worries about how much corporate profits will fall because of COVID-19. The virus usually leaves people with only mild to moderate symptoms, but because it's new, experts can't say for sure how far it will ultimately spread and how much damage it will do, both to health and to the economy. The number of cases has reached 109,000 globally, and Italy on Sunday tried to quarantine a region holding more than a quarter of its population in hopes of corralling it.

(More oil prices stories.)

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