Crude oil futures were lower in mid-morning Asian trade Aug. 15 on profit-taking amid a lack of fresh cues and after the ICE Brent marker briefly retook $100/b late last week on a wave of bullish headlines. At 10:13 am Singapore time (0213 GMT), the ICE October Brent futures contract was down 67 cents/b (0.68%) from the previous close at $97.48/b, while the NYMEX September light sweet crude contract was 67 cents/b (0.73%) lower at $91.42/b. A lack of fresh cues saw oil prices drifting lower at the start of the week as investors booked profits. A wave of bullish headlines in the previous week to Aug. 12 had sent ICE Brent crude closing 3.4% higher on the week, with the front-month marker briefly crossing the $100/b level. “Crude oil posted a weekly gain, despite edging lower on Friday, as the prospect of stronger demand improved,” said ANZ Research […]