Singapore — Oil prices steadied on Friday after China said it would hold talks with Washington in January aimed at solving trade disputes between the two world’s biggest economies. Crude prices had previously fallen after the US followed most other major economies into a manufacturing downturn. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were at $47.15 a barrel at 3.45am GMT, 6c, or 0.1% above their last settlement. International Brent crude futures were close to their last close, at $55.93 a barrel. Both crude benchmarks were down earlier in the session on concerns that the China-US trade war would lead to a global economic slowdown. Traders said the firmer prices came after China’s commerce ministry said on Friday that it would hold vice-ministerial level trade talks with US counterparts in Beijing on January 7-8, as the two sides look to end a dispute that is inflicting increasing pain on both economies and roiling global financial markets. The two nations have been locked...
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