Oil prices fall amid fears about U.S. ‘fiscal cliff’

PanARMENIAN.Net - The price of oil fell Thursday, Dec 20, as fears rose that the U.S. could head over the "fiscal cliff" if political leaders there fail to reach a budget deal to cut the government deficit before the end of the year, AP reports.

Benchmark crude for February delivery lost 45 cents at midday Bangkok time to $89.53 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract jumped $1.58, or about 1.8 percent, to finish at $89.51 per barrel in New York on Wednesday. That was the biggest one-day price rise in a month.

Negotiations between President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner hit a snag Wednesday. The White House threatened to veto Boehner's alternative plan for averting automatic tax increases and government spending cuts that are set to take effect Jan 1 if no deal is reached.

Without a deal, the hundreds of billions of dollars in spending cuts and tax hikes that will take effect could throw the U.S. economy back into recession, analysts have said. Such a prospect would likely mean decreasing energy demand.