Oil prices claw back some ground, but oversupply worries drag

Oil prices clawed back some ground on Wednesday as global equity markets showed signs of stabilizing, but crude was still under pressure from worries about oversupply and a slowing global economy that had driven sharp losses in the last three sessions.

West Texas Intermediate futures (WTI) had climbed 7 cents, or 0.15 percent, to $46.31 per barrel by 0722 GMT, after plunging 7.3 percent the day before in a session when it touched its lowest since August 2017.

Global benchmark Brent crude futures rose 0.36 percent, or 20 cents, to $56.46 per barrel. They dropped 5.6 percent on Tuesday, at one point hitting a 14-month low.

Brent is down more than 30 percent from a recent peak of $86.74 per barrel on Oct. 3, while WTI has declined nearly 40 percent from a multi-year high of $76.9 per barrel recorded on Oct. 4.