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Oil dips near to $102 on euro debt fears Weak demand, Greek troubles and concerns over financial services group Dexia pulls Brent futures down to $102.14 a barrel
Oil prices fell towards US$102 on Monday after Greece said it would miss its deficit target and on concerns rose about Franco-Belgian bank Dexia, which pulled down stocks and the euro, whilst the dollar strengthened. Brent crude futureswere down 62 cents to $102.14 a barrel at 0819 GMT after hitting an intraday low of $101.12. U.S. crude futureswere down 99 cents to $78.21. Investors and traders have been troubled by draft figures released by Greece on Sunday which showed it would miss a deficit target set just months ago in a massive bailout package. This suggests the steps taken to avert bankruptcy may not be enough. In addition, Belgian and French finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss ways to shore up the balance sheet of Franco-Belgium financial services group Dexia. Dexia has one of the largest exposures to Greece among non-Greek banks. The euro and European shares opened down as investors mulled the lack of a credible solution to Europe's debt crisis. "Greece said it could not meet its deficit target for the rescue plan and I think that was a significant input," said Olivier Jakob, oil analyst at Petromatrix. "There is the possibility that Belgian bank Dexia might need to go through some sort of nationalisation. The market is still very jittery about the banks so that could put some pressure on there." Christophe Barret, global oil analyst at Credit Agricole CIB, pointed to weak demand figures in the U.S. and Europe, and the return of Libyan crude to the market as likely to weigh on the oil price. "At over $100 a barrel the Brent price is still pretty high so it should continue to go down," he predicted. United Arab Emirates (UAE) OPEC governor Ali Obaid Al-Yabhouni also pointed to "ominous clouds on the horizon" for oil demand because of global economic problems. European debt problems and the prospect of weaker demand in parts of Asia are a big worry for producers, he said. Analysts and traders are now unsure as to where oil will go next. Christopher Bellew, a trader at Jefferies Bache, said that if Brent dipped below $100 it would probably not stay there for long as funds would come back in and start buying. But Jakob suggested there was a risk of some selling by hedge funds this week because last Friday was the final day for many hedge funds' quarterly redemption notice periods. "The oil market will be a tough call this week. The market closed poorly on Friday and diminished the developing signs of technical support," said MF Global in its daily report.\ A bearish target at $99 per barrel has been established for Brent, according to reuters market analyst Wang Tao. Chinese data offered some support to prices as it showed industrial activity was improving. China's factory activity picked up in September for a second month in a row and export orders strengthened. The official Purchasing Managers' Index inched up to 51.2 from August's 50.9, largely in line with a median forecast of 51.3 in a Reuters poll.
