Crude oil futures strengthened during mid-morning trade in Asia Feb. 9, as expectations of a return to pre-coronavirus consumption patterns amid the abating crisis and hopes of an upcoming US stimulus package lifted demand sentiment. The production curbs by OPEC+ along with lower year-on-year US shale production has tightened supply, providing yet another boost to the international crude markers. At 11:00 am Singapore time (0300 GMT), the ICE Brent April contract was up 61 cents/b (1%) from the Feb. 8 settle to $61.17/b, while the March NYMEX light sweet crude contract was up 52 cents/b (0.9%) to $58.49/b. The front month ICE Brent crude futures contract hurtled past the $60/b milestone for the first time in a year as fundamentals improved on both the demand and supply side. According to analysts, […]