Oil prices mixed; U.S.-China trade war takes unexpected turn for the better

Oil prices were mixed on Friday in Asia as the Sino-U.S. trade war has seemingly took an unexpected turn for the better.

U.S. Crude Oil WTI Futures slipped 0.1% to $56.66 by 12:00 AM ET (04:00 GMT). International Brent Oil Futures gained 0.2% to $60.59.

Investors sentiment improved today after the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said it is willing to “negotiate and collaborate” with the U.S. on trade matters, and that it will not retaliate against the latest tariffs imposed by the U.S. for now.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said talks at a “different level” were set for Thursday.

“There’s a talk scheduled for today at a different level,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News Radio without elaborating on what “a different level” means.

The conciliatory tone from China was unexpected, as many previously feared Beijing would seek to retaliate against the latest round of U.S. tariffs announced by Trump last week.

Oil prices is now set to record its strongest week since early July largely thanks to a bigger-than-expected fall in U.S. inventories reported earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Dorian that is currently approaching Florida sparked concerns that offshore U.S. crude producers may slow output.

The Hurricane is expected to head toward Florida over the weekend and may enter into the eastern Gulf of Mexico next week, according to the National Hurricane Center.