Brent, WTI Prices Slide

Crude oil prices fell on Monday, under pressure from expectations of increasing supplies and a lower demand forecast amid higher energy costs.
Brent crude futures fell 45 cents, or 0.6%, to $81.72 a barrel. 
US West Texas Intermediate crude lost 36 cents, or 0.5%, to $80.43 a barrel, Reuters reported.
Oil markets have dropped for the last three weeks, hit by a strengthening dollar and speculation that US President Joe Biden's administration might release oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cool prices.
"The White House has been debating how to tackle higher inflation, with some officials calling for the strategic reserve to be tapped, or halting US exports," ANZ analysts said in a report.
US energy firms this week added oil and natural gas rigs for a third week in a row with crude prices hovering near a seven-year high, prompting some drillers to return to the wellpad.
The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose by six to 556 in the week to Nov. 12, its highest level since April 2020, energy services firm Baker Hughes Company said on Friday.