Crude oil prices were lower Tuesday morning ahead of data showing whether U.S. oil stockpiles continued to rise in the final week of 2015.
The American Petroleum Institute is out with its figures this afternoon, while official numbers from the Energy Information Administration are due Wednesday morning.
In the meanthime, traders will be keeping a close eye on developments in the Middle East, where tensions between OPEC members Iran and Saudi Arabia risk escalating into a wider conflict.
US crude oil was down 15 cents at $36.60 a barrel in electronic dealing, not far from a recent 6-year low below $35.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company – www.instaforex.com