Crude oil futures were lower during mid-morning Asian trade Jan. 26, as pandemic-related concerns in the region negated any market upside anticipated from the curtailment of supply. At 11:18 am Singapore time (0318 GMT), the ICE Brent March contract was down 31 cents/b (0.55%) from the Jan. 25 settle to $55.57/b, while the March NYMEX light sweet crude contract was down 24 cents/b (0.45%) to $52.53/b. The March contract for Brent had settled 0.85% higher at $55.88/b, whereas the March contract for NYMEX light sweet crude had jumped 0.96% to $52.77/b. Demand-side concerns remained etched in the market, as countries in Asia Pacific continue to battle the pandemic, while countries in Europe mulled tighter restrictions to curb the spread of mutant strains. The fall in crude prices comes despite expectations of curtailed […]