U.S. oil futures end at lowest in a week; natural-gas prices down over 8%
U.S. oil prices declined on Tuesday to finish at their lowest level in a week, pressured by strength in the U.S. dollar and worries about Chinese energy demand. "Lower growth forecasts and slower Chinese growth at the end of the first quarter amid lockdowns appear to have driven the bulk of the move," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA. West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery fell $5.65, or 5.2%, to settle at $102.56 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That was the lowest front-month finish since April 12, FactSet data show. Natural-gas futures, meanwhile, ended lower after settling a day earlier at the highest since September 2008. May natural gas fell 64 cents, or 8.2% to settle at $7.176 per million British thermal units.
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