US Crude Oil Futures Settle 1% Lower at $101.76/BBL

US Crude Oil Futures: US crude oil futures are standardized contracts for West Texas Intermediate crude traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange, commonly represented by the CL ticker. In the reported session, they settled lower as investors weighed diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Iran against continuing attacks and supply risks affecting Saudi energy infrastructure. Geopolitics: Oil markets continued to react to the tension between possible US-Iran diplomacy and ongoing attacks on Saudi infrastructure. Market context: WTI remained near a six-month high despite the daily decline, following a sharp weekly advance driven by Middle East supply concerns. Benchmark trend: The International Energy Agency reported that Brent crude had risen materially since early September, underscoring the broader strength in crude benchmarks before the pullback.