Oil prices fell on Monday on fears that a continued rise in coronavirus cases could stall fuel demand recovery.
Brent crude fell 0.2%, or 10 cents, at $43.04 per barrel. U.S. oil also lost 0.2%, or 6 cents, at $40.53 per barrel.
The current tally of global coronavirus infections rose to 14 million with total deaths nearly at 602,000.
While fuel demand recovered from a 30% fall in April due to the lockdowns, usage remains below pre-pandemic levels. U.S. retail gasoline demand is also dropping again due to the coronavirus resurgence.
Japan s oil imports dropped 14.7% in June year-on-year. However, that remained small compared to the 25% drop in May.
Still, exports from Japan suffered a double-digit decline for the fourth straight month as the pandemic impacted global demand.
https://www.umarkets.com/en/news/oil-drops-as-coronavirus-resurgence-threatens-recovery