Brent crude futures were trading at $50.22 per barrel at 0224 GMT, down 66 cents, or 1.3 per cent
Investors are wondering whether Saudi Arabia will be amenable to a freeze if Iran doesn't participate
Traders said the price falls were the result of cashing in following more than two weeks of rallying prices
The kingdom is also engaged in a battle for market share with rival Iran and has cut prices to its customers in Asia, the biggest market for both exporters
Refiners have resorted to production cut which will weaken demand for crude oil and serve as a hard ceiling on prices
Since the plunge in oil prices that began in mid-2014, Venezuela has repeatedly tried to broker deals to freeze production and reduce a supply glut, with limited success
Finance Minister had jitters when crude prices came close to $53 a barrel in June rallying from 12-year lows of $27 earlier in the year
Brent futures were up 15 cents at $44.42 per barrel on Monday
For the first seven months of 2016, India imported about 359,000 bpd of Iranian oil, up 67 per cent from the same period a year ago
On the back of bargain-buyers taking advantage of a weaker dollar
Overproduction of crude and a wave of refined products were the main factors weighing on oil
Oil recovery proves slippery for Exxon and Chevron
Brent crude is still up more than 60% from a 12-year low near $27 in January
Dollar's rally to a more than four-month high also hurt demand for greenback-denominated oil among holders of the euro and other currencies
Traders have been left scrambling to mitigate losses as China has failed to be the driver of demand
Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid al-Falih said the oil market was becoming more balanced in terms of supply and demand
It's not how much oil, but how much influence
One of the pillars of oil's recovery from the lowest price in 12 years could be on the verge of crumbling. China is likely close to filling its strategic petroleum reserves after doubling purchases for it this year as prices plunged, JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts including Ying Wang wrote in a June 29 research note.Stopping shipments for the reserve would wipe out about 15 per cent of the country's imports, according to the bank. Chinese crude imports have risen 16 per cent this year, and the country is rivaling the US as the world's biggest oil purchaser.That demand, along with supply disruptions from Canada to Nigeria, has helped boost oil prices about 80 per cent since January.China has taken the opportunity of lower oil prices since early-2015 to accelerate the strategic petroleum reserve builds,'' Wang said in the report. ''This volume might be close to the capacity limit, in our view, and together with potential teapot utilisation pullback and slower-than-expected demand from
Government plans to sell 10% of its stake in 'Navratna' OIL through an Offer For Sale
On the supply side, the IEA said output fell by 590,000 bpd year-on-year to 95.4 million bpd in May, first significant decline since the start of 2013