West Texas Intermediate crude fluctuated near the lowest level in 12 weeks. Futures swung between gains and losses after sliding 0.5 per cent on Wednesday following a government report that showed an unexpected increase in US crude stockpiles.
WTI for November delivery was up 44¢ at $103.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange in midday London tradomg after falling by a similar amount earlier on Thursday.
Brent for November settlement rose 75¢ to $109.07 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The European benchmark was at a $5.97 premium to WTI, widening from $5.66 on Wednesday, which was the biggest since September