After ending the previous session moderately higher, the price of crude oil saw considerable volatility on Tuesday before closing modestly lower.
In its first day as the front-month contract, crude for May delivery edged down $0.07 to $41.45 a barrel after reaching a high of $41.90 a barrel and a low of $40.77 a barrel.
The choppy trading came as traders digested news of an apparent terrorist attack in the Belgian capital of Brussels.
The terrorist group known as ISIS has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks, which killed at least 31 people and wounded more than 100 others.
Two explosions occurred at the Zaventem airport just outside the city and were followed by an explosion at a downtown subway station near the European quarter.
Responding to the news, President Barack Obama said the deadly attacks are a reminder that the world must unite to defeat the scourge of terrorism.
The attacks led to increased geopolitical concerns, although U.S. stocks managed to recover after seeing initial weakness.
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