Oil prices slipped on Friday but were set for their third weekly rise on expectations of a recovery in fuel demand in Europe, China and the United States as rising vaccination rates lead to an easing of pandemic curbs. Brent crude futures edged down 4 cents, or 0.06%, to $72.48 a barrel to 0658 GMT, after closing at its highest since May 2019 on Thursday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures also slipped 4 cents, or 0.06%, to $70.25 a barrel, after climbing 0.5% on Thursday to its highest close since October 2018. Brent is set for a weekly rise of 0.8% while WTI is set to gain 0.9%. U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs expects Brent crude prices to reach $80 per barrel this summer, betting that a recent oil market rally will continue as vaccination rollouts boost global economic activity and demand for the commodity. read more […]