Brent crude fell from the highest closing price in three days as a measure of China ’s manufacturing missed estimates and the U.S. pledged to continue operations to stop Islamic radicals in Iraq . West Texas Intermediate also dropped. Futures declined as much as 0.8 percent in London. A preliminary Purchasing Managers ’ Index from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics slid to 50.3 for August. A median 51.5 was projected in a Bloomberg News survey. President Barack Obama said the beheading of an American journalist by Islamic State militants won’t deter him from a bombing campaign aimed at halting their advances. “The softer China PMI might be one of the key news drivers today,” Torbjoern Kjus, an analyst at DNB ASA in Oslo, said by phone. “That’s more affecting the financial players.” Brent for October settlement decreased as much as 80 cents to $101.48 a barrel on the […]