Investors are closely watching the outcome of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks which resumed this week. A deal could lift U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil and ease global supply tightness
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was unchanged, after sharp losses earlier in the week
Oil prices rose as US implied consumer petroleum demand surged to a record high in the world's top oil consumer
The Energy Department announced the first sale of 18 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) aimed at reducing pump prices of fuel that had hit seven-year highs
The US emergency oil reserve is a tool available to Washington to address unusual short-term mismatches between oil supply and demand, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said
Shares tumbled on Wall Street on Friday as they reopened after Thanksgiving, while European stocks saw their biggest sell-off in 17 months
Democrats in the House of Representatives urged President Joe Biden to release crude oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)
The United States is expected to announce a loan of crude oil from its emergency stockpile on Tuesday
Brent crude was up 28 cents or 0.3% at $81.52 a barrel by 0145 GMT, after falling to a six-week low on Thursday before rebounding to close 1.2% higher.
Washington's bid to cool markets, asking China to join a coordinated action for the first time, comes as high gasoline prices and other inflationary pressures have sparked a political backlash.
The rally came ahead of the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) release of oil and gasoline price predictions
Brent futures and US West Texas Intermediate crude pared losses of more than 1%
Brent crude futures fell $1.03, or 1.2%, to $83.69 a barrel by 0724 GMT
Brent crude futures fell 71 cents, or 0.9%, to $84.00 a barrel by 0450 GMT, after dropping to a session-low of $83.27 earlier.
West Texas Intermediate futures climbed around 2% after topping the psychological price threshold on Friday for the first time since November 2014
US oil prices rose for a fifth day on Wednesday to their highest since 2014 amid global concerns about energy supply on signs of tightness in crude, natural gas and coal markets.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Friday on growing signs of tightness in U.S. markets after Hurricane Ida hit offshore output, although benchmarks were heading for weekly losses of nearly 1% after China announced plans to sell crude from its strategic reserves.
The domestic currency has lost 27 paise in the last four trading sessions.
Crude inventories in the United States increased by 1.3 million barrels last week, against analysts' expectations for a 1.6 million-barrel rise