Crude oil futures were lower during mid-morning Asian trade Aug. 16 as investor concerns over the fast-spreading delta variant resurfaced amid restrictive movement curbs in oil-consuming giant China and a growing number of cases in the US. R At 10:51 am Singapore time (0251 GMT), the ICE October Brent futures contract was down 80 cents/b (1.13%) from the previous close at $69.79/b, while the NYMEX September light sweet crude contract similarly fell 77 cents/b (1.13%) at $67.67/b. “The delta [variant] worries are tightening their grip on oil market sentiment,” Vandana Hari, CEO of Vanda Insights, said. “The summer travel and tourism boom in the West is petering out, while the virus continues to fester in pockets across the world.” Oil demand in China has taken a hit in recent weeks after growing COVID-19 cases in the country […]