Crude oil futures were higher in the mid-morning trade in Asia April 23, as optimism over the reopening of Europe lent support to the market, even as concerns remained on the progression of the pandemic in India. At 11:17 am Singapore time (0317 GMT), the ICE Brent June contract was up 27 cents/b (0.41%) from the April 22 settle at $65.67/b, while the June NYMEX light sweet crude contract was 36 cents/b (0.59%) higher at $61.79/b. Market analysts said that oil prices pared their loses in the week of April 18 due to an improved outlook for Europe. COVID-19 cases in major European economies have plateaued and countries such as Italy, Greece and France are on track to ease some of their mobility restrictions, according to media reports. “There is cautious optimism over […]