
Oil prices fell on Monday after U.S. energy firms added rigs for the first time this year in a sign that crude production there will rise further. U.S. spot crude oil futures CLc1 were at US$ 53.37 per barrel at 0027 GMT, down 32 cents, or 0.6 percent, from their last settlement.

Oil prices jumped as much as 3% on Friday to win back a chunk of the ground they lost in the previous session, but growth in U.S. crude stockpiles and ongoing concerns about the global economy kept markets under pressure.

Oil prices crashed to new one-year lows on Tuesday, dragged down by a deepening sense of global economic gloom as well as fears of oversupply in the oil market itself.

Geopolitics has taken over the oil market, driving oil prices up to three-year highs. The inventory surplus has vanished, and more outages could push oil prices up even higher. Yet, there are some signs that demand is starting to take a hit as oil closes in on $80 per barrel.