Oil prices fall below $93 as Greek crisis undermines euroJune 20, 2011 - 10:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Oil prices fell below $93 a barrel Monday, June 20, in Asia as Greece's deepening financial crisis undermined confidence in the euro. According to AP, benchmark oil for July delivery was down 40 cents to $92.61 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost $1.94, or 2 percent, to settle at $93.01 on Friday. In London, Brent crude for August delivery was down 67 cents to $112.54 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange. A strengthening U.S. dollar has helped drag crude down from almost $115 early last month. A rising dollar makes commodities such as oil more expensive for investors with other currencies. Talks between eurozone finance chiefs on Greece's troubled finances ended early Monday without the ministers signing off on a vital installment of rescue loans needed to avoid bankruptcy next month. The euro fell to $1.4281 on Monday from $1.4307 late Friday. If the euro drops below $1.40, crude will likely fall to between below $88, energy consultant The Schork Group said. "We think that further U.S. dollar strength will lead oil into the high $80s," Schork said. "As far as this week goes, look to the greenback." In other Nymex trading in July contracts, heating oil fell 1.3 cents to $2.97 a gallon while gasoline dropped 1.7 cents at $2.93 a gallon. Natural gas futures slid 1.7 cents at $4.31 per 1,000 cubic feet. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |