Trading in options contracts shows a 25 percent chance that West Texas Intermediate crude futures will settle below $77.50 a barrel in mid-December, up from 3 percent at the end of September. Implied volatility for January WTI options at that level shows a 25 delta, indicating a 25 percent chance that a $77.50 put contract will be in the money at the Dec. 16 expiration. January WTI futures fell $5.03 since Sept. 30 to $84.73 a barrel today on the New York Mercantile Exchange. November contracts, which are nearest to expiration, settled at $85.82. Front-month WTI futures have slumped 20 percent from their June high amid slower global demand growth and rising oil production in the U.S. and elsewhere. The International Monetary Fund said on Oct. 7 that the global economy will expand by 3.8 percent in 2015, down from a July projection of 4 percent. U.S. oil output […]