Oil prices rose on Monday, pushing Brent back above $50 a barrel, buoyed by hopes that a rollout of coronavirus vaccines will lift global fuel demand while a tanker explosion in Saudi Arabia jangled nerves in the market.
Brent crude futures for February rose 54 cents, or 1.1 per cent, to $50.51 a barrel by 09.50 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures for January were up 46 cents, or 1 per cent, at $47.03 a barrel.
Prices also extended gains amid supply jitters after a shipping firm said an oil tanker was hit by an external source while discharging at