Asian economies to face volatile oil prices over Venezuela, US plans for Caracas

Asian economies face the risk of renewed volatility in oil prices this year as analysts say the US capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro and uncertainty over Washington’s plans for the oil-rich South American country may unsettle investor sentiment. On Monday morning, Benchmark Brent crude opened about 1.2 per cent lower near US$61 a barrel, before falling further to US$60.54 in the early afternoon, while US West Texas Intermediate crude declined by 0.5 per cent to US$57.04 a barrel. The...