TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday, pressured by fears about a slow recovery in the global economy and fuel demand due to an accelerating rise in COVID-19 infections, but remained on track for a second straight weekly gain, helped by vaccine hopes.
Brent crude was down 75 cents, or 1.7%, at $42.78 a barrel as of 03:14 (GMT), after dropping 0.6% on Thursday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 89 cents, or 2.2%, to $40.23 a barrel, having lost 0.8% on Thursday. For the week, both were headed for a surge of about 8%.
U.S. government data also added pressure, as crude inventories rose by 4.3 million barrels last week, compared with an expected fall of 913,000 barrels.
New coronavirus infections in the United States and elsewhere are at record levels and tightening economic restrictions to contain the spread have dampened the prospect of a near-term end to the global health crisis.
Hopes that such a resolution might be on the horizon have risen this week - stoking the jump in both WTI and Brent contracts - after data showed an experimental COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer Inc and Germany's BioNTech was 90% effective.
But the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Thursday that global oil demand is unlikely to get a significant boost from the roll-out of vaccines against COVID-19 until well into 2021.
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Edited 13 Nov 2020, 16:01
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