| GEO Business | Oil prices rebound above 75 dollars in Asian trade | Updated at: 1142 PST, Tuesday, August 17, 2010
 SINGAPORE: Oil rebounded in Asia on Tuesday after five straight days of losses, but trading was subdued due to concerns over the strength of the global economic recovery and its impact on energy demand.
A sharp slowdown in second quarter growth in Japan, the world's third biggest energy-consuming nation, affected market sentiment already spooked by weak data from the United States, analysts said.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for September delivery, was up 21 cents to 75.45 dollars a barrel in afternoon Asian trade.
Brent North Sea crude for delivery in October added two cents to 75.65 dollars.
Ken Hasegawa, energy desk manager of Newedge brokerage in Japan, said the market was paring losses after prices fell over the past five trading days.
Oil prices began tumbling on Tuesday after the US Federal Reserve said the US recovery in the near term was likely to be more modest than anticipated.
Hasegawa added that gross domestic product (GDP) figures from Japan released Monday showing lower-than-expected growth still had "some influence on the market."
Japan's GDP grew by an annualised 0.4 percent in the three months to June, down from a revised 4.4 percent in the previous three months, data showed. The GDP figure dashed market expectations for 2.3 percent growth.
"It seems that market participants remained cautious after the release of the Japanese figures while risk-aversion is back... amid these uncertain economic conditions," said Sucden analyst Myrto Sokou. |  | | | |
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