Brent futures fell 25 cents, or 0.4%, to $61.76 a barrel by 0750 GMT, having gained 1.1% on Friday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 22 cents, or 0.4%, at $52.29, having firmed by 0.4% in the previous session.

Brent crude futures were up 23 cents, or 0.4%, at $61.54 a barrel by 0638 GMT, having settled up 2.2% on Thursday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 1 cent at $52.27 a barrel, after earlier rising. WTI also closed up 2.2% in the previous session, but is on course for a weekly decline of 3.2%.

Brent crude futures were up $1.91, or 3.18%, at $61.88 a barrel by 1039 GMT, having risen as much as 4.45% to $62.64. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up $1.42, or 2.78%, at $52.56 a barrel. WTI earlier rose as much as 3.85% to $53.11.

Brent futures were down 42 cents, or 0.7%, at $61.55 a barrel by 0552 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down by 48 cents, or 0.9%, at $53 a barrel.

The transaction, among other things, will give Total control over 2.2 million mt/year of LNG to be produced by the third train at the Freeport LNG export terminal in Texas. The facility is currently preparing to begin production from its first train, after several construction- and weather-related delays hampered the project.

Brent crude futures were at $68.48 per barrel at 0654 GMT, up 72 cents, or 1.1%, from their last close, with prices underpinned by OPEC supply cuts and Middle East tensions. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 66 cents, or 1.1%, at $58.57 per barrel.

North Sea Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $48 per barrel (b) in July, $2/b higher than the June average and almost $4/b higher than in July 2016. EIA forecasts Brent spot prices to average $51/b in 2017 and $52/b in 2018. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices are forecast to average $2/b less than Brent prices in both 2017 and 2018.

Because two major crude oil price benchmarks, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent, account for 70% of the weighting in the S&P GSCI energy index, the energy index tends to follow major price movements in the crude oil market. During the first half of 2017, WTI crude oil prices declined by 12%, while Brent prices fell 14%.

Brent crude oil prices are forecast to average $43/barrel (b) in 2016 and $51/b in 2017. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices are forecast to average about $1/b less than Brent in 2016 and in 2017. The current values of futures and options contracts suggest high uncertainty in the price outlook. NYMEX contract values for January 2017 delivery traded during the five-day period ending October 6 suggest a price range from $37/b to $68/b encompasses the market expectation of WTI prices in January 2017.

A U.S. regulatory judge ruled BP PLC manipulated the Texas natural gas market in 2008 and said fines against the British energy company could increase because the scheme took place after earlier market manipulation.

The Brent-WTI spread, the difference between the front month futures price of North Sea Brent crude oil and that of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil, narrowed to $2.00 per barrel (bbl) as of October 15, after reaching a 2014 high of $14.95/bbl in January

BLOOMBERG - West Texas Intermediate for March delivery rose as much as 79 cents to $64.18 a barrel and traded at $63.88 as of 11:39 a.m. in Singapore. The contract fell 76 cents to $63.39 on Tuesday. Total volume traded was about 16 percent above the 100-day average. Brent for April settlement rose 46 cents to $67.32 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange, snapping a three-day decline. The global benchmark crude traded at a premium of $3.73 to April WTI.

EIA forecasts Brent spot prices will average about $62/b in both 2018 and 2019 compared with an average of $54/b in 2017. EIA expects West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices to average $4/b lower than Brent prices in both 2018 and 2019.

Ivory Coast will seek investors in its available offshore oil acreage, including seven new ultra-deep water blocks in the Gulf of Guinea, at a promotional event in Texas next week, a senior oil ministry official said on Tuesday.

REUTERS - Brent crude futures were at $63.42 per barrel at 0250 GMT, up 63 cents, or 1 percent, from the previous close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $59.83 a barrel. That was up 63 cents, or 1.1 percent, from their last settlement.

At another time or in a different place, the oil and gas field ExxonMobil has discovered in the Russian Arctic would have been a cause for jubilation at its Texas headquarters.

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $62.16 a barrel at 0752 GMT, up 53 cents, or 0.9 percent, from their last close. They touched $62.21 shortly before, their highest level since May 2015. Brent crude futures LCOc1 - the international benchmark for oil prices - were at $68.23 a barrel, up 39 cents, or 0.9 percent, after revisiting a May 2015 high of $68.27 shortly before.

Brent crude oil prices are forecast to average $53/b in 2017 and $56/b in 2018. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices are forecast to average $1/b less than Brent in both 2017 and 2018.

Despite falling crude prices, Total managed to report a better result as its output for the quarter grew and cost cutting measures paid off. Crude oil prices have more than halved from their peaks last year. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude oil futures - the benchmarks for crude oil prices are currently trading at $47.86 per barrel and $53.07 per barrel respectively. During the quarter, oil traded around $60 per barrel.

West Texas Intermediate crude for February delivery declined to $36.58 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after falling 0.8 percent Monday. U.S. crude inventories are forecast to keep supplies more than 130 million barrels above the five-year seasonal average, according to a Bloomberg survey before government data Wednesday.