The ongoing fall in the cost of crude oil has continued to have repercussions on the market.
When the price of oil rallied last week, the BBC reported that investors were speculating that the price drop was coming to an end.
The price improvement followed the release of data showing that US demand for leasing oil rigs was slowing, suggesting that producers might be preparing to cut output. Since last summer, the prices of Brent and UK West Texas Intermediate Crude have fallen from above $100 a barrel.