Oil is on course for a monthly gain of about 10% on sustained signs that consumption is outpacing supply, draining stockpiles. West Texas Intermediate was little changed after a volatile week that saw prices register a seven-year high above $85 a barrel on Monday. China is canvassing its oil refiners for solutions to its energy crisis, according to people familiar with the discussions. Among the questions asked were whether processors have the ability to ramp up their fuel production. World oil inventories will decline by an average of 1.1 million barrels a day this quarter, according to a person familiar with preliminary figures evaluated by a technical committee for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies. The producer group, which has been resisting pressure from oil users to raise supply at a faster clip, meets next week to assess production policy. Oil has been one of the […]