Oil prices rise to highest level in a month as Omicron concern eases | Reuters

Oil prices rise to highest level in a month as Omicron concern eases | Reuters

Oil prices rose more than 2% on Monday to the highest level since late November on hopes that the Omicron coronavirus variant will have a limited impact on global demand in 2022, even as surging cases caused flight cancellations.

Global benchmark Brent crude rose $2.46, or 3.2%, to settle at $78.60 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.78, or 2.4%, to settle at $75.57 a barrel. The U.S. market was closed on Friday for a holiday.

Both benchmarks rose on Monday to the highest since Nov. 26. On that day, oil plunged by more than 10% when reports of a new variant first appeared. The benchmarks gained last week after early data suggested that Omicron could cause a milder level of illness.

"Though Omicron is spreading faster than any COVID-19 variant yet, a relatively relieving news is that most people infected with Omicron are showing mild symptoms, at least so far," said Leona Liu, analyst at Singapore-based DailyFX.