Crude prices slid from seven-month highs, as doubts surfaced over the prospects of a rapid economic recovery.US benchmark WTI shed $1.31/bl to $71.37/bl in the week to 18 June, while North Sea Dated fell by $1.17/bl to $70.28/bl. Scepticism over an economic recovery dampened global stock market sentiment, moderating expectations of a quick rebound in global energy demand. A stronger dollar is also reducing the ability of refiners in non-dollar economiesto pay for crude, intensifying the effect of suppressed oil demand on prices. And for all the attention focused on popular uprisings in Iran, oil output in Opec's second-largest producer has so far been unaffected.
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