Tuesday, 4 February 2014 00:18
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Oil prices eased in Asian trade Monday as data showing weak Chinese manufacturing activity fuelled concerns over energy demand in the world’s second largest economy, analysts said.
New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for March delivery, eased 22 cents to $97.27 in afternoon trade while Brent North Sea crude for March was down two cents at $106.38.
“Commodity prices are currently under pressure due to weaker-than-expected data on Chinese manufacturing activity,” Desmond Chua, market analyst at CMC Markets in Singapore, told AFP.
China on Saturday said manufacturing activity slipped to a five-month low in January, confirming a slowdown in factory activity in the world’s top energy consumer.
The monthly purchasing managers’ index (PMI) declined to 50.5 in January after recording 51 in December and 51.4 in November, according to the government’s National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
Any figure above the 50 mark indicates expansion of manufacturing activity while anything below that signals contraction.
The news came days after banking giant HSBC said it PMI hit a six-month low of 49.5 last month.
