Oil prices fall on economic slowdown warnings | Reuters

Oil prices fall on economic slowdown warnings | Reuters

Oil prices fell 2% on Tuesday after soaring by more than $5 barrel in the previous session, weighed by fears that an economic slowdown will hit oil demand, though tight supply and a weaker dollar curbed some losses.

Brent crude futures for September settlement were down $1.64, or 1.5%, at $104.63 a barrel by 1328 GMT. The contract rose 5.1% on Monday, the biggest percentage gain since April 12.

WTI crude futures for August delivery fell by $1.63, or 1.6%, to $100.97 a barrel. The contract climbed 5.1% on Monday, the largest percentage gain since May 11.

The August WTI contract expires on Wednesday, and the more actively traded September contract was at $97.50 a barrel, down $1.92, or 1.9%.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday warned that any Russian action to stop supplying Europe with gas would trigger economic contractions of more than 5% over the next year in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Italy, the Financial Times reported.