West Texas Intermediate and Brent crudes fell for the first time in three days after exports from China unexpectedly shrank, stoking speculation that the world’s second-largest oil consumer may miss economic growth targets. Futures lost as much as 1.5 percent in New York . China’s overseas shipments declined by 18.1 percent in February from a year earlier, the biggest drop since August 2009, the General Administration of Customs reported on March 8. A median 7.5 percent increase was projected in a Bloomberg News survey of 45 economists. WTI rose 1 percent on March 7, the most in four days, as hedge funds increased bullish bets. “Falling Chinese exports could be seen as sign of a slowing global economy,” said Carsten Fritsch , an analyst at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt . While the data has “spooked the oil market,” the Chinese economy is still forecast to expand by 7.3 percent […]