By V. Phani Kumar, MarketWatch
HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Crude-oil futures slipped Friday, weighed down by broad stock market losses in Asia, though they stayed in a narrow range ahead of U.S. non-farm payrolls data due later in the day.
Light sweet crude-oil futures for delivery in September were recently down 30 cents at $71.64 a barrel on Globex, after moving in a range between $71.48 and $71.96.
The contract slipped three cents, or less than 0.1%, to settle at $71.94 a barrel in a regular session on the New York Mercantile Exchange overnight.
The drop was in response to a stronger dollar and a forecast by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that it now expects a near-to-below-normal hurricane season, as the effect of the El Niño weather pattern continues to develop. See full story.
