Crude oil futures were stable to slightly lower in mid-morning Asian trade July 27 as recession fears returned to the fore after fresh US data overnight showed weakening consumer confidence in the economy. At 10:18 am Singapore time (0218 GMT), the ICE September Brent futures contract was down 23 cents/b (0.22%) from the previous close at $104.17/b, while the NYMEX September light sweet crude contract was unchanged at $94.98/b. A rally in the early July 27 Asian session failed to make any meaningful gains, with prices turning lower after data showed US consumer confidence sliding for the third straight month in July, data from the Conference Board showed. “Consumer spending outlook was clearly being put into question, with some signs of a pullback in discretionary spending serving as the tradeoff for high inflationary pressures,” IG […]