据海湾消息报网站12月20日消息 随着奥密克戎病毒变种的迅速传播引起了对需求前景的担忧，石油价格持续下跌，跌幅超过3%。

伦敦期货价格在上周下跌2.2%后，下跌至近每桶71美元。从美国到欧洲的感染正在上升，政府努力控制奥密克戎的传播，这导致了对航空旅行的限制和对行动的更严管控，产生了将导致能源需求减弱的担忧。

石油市场结构也显示出疲软迹象。周一，布伦特原油的即时时间分布再次短暂转变为看跌的期货溢价模式，表明市场供应过剩。

进入假期期间，熊市逆风越来越大，交易量减少可能加剧价格波动。亚洲的需求正在走软，各国央行正转向收紧货币政策，试图遏制加速的通胀。

吴恒磊 编译自 海湾时报

原文如下：

Brent crude tumbles more than 3% as bearish headwinds mount

Oil extended declines – falling more than 3 per cent – as the rapid spread of the Omicron virus variant raised concern over the demand outlook.

Futures in London tumbled near $71 a barrel after dropping 2.2 per cent last week. Infections are rising from the US to Europe as authorities struggle to tame the spread of Omicron. That’s led to restrictions on air travel and stricter curbs on movement, creating fears that will flow through to weaker energy demand.

Oil’s market structure is also showing signs of weakness. The prompt timespread for Brent once again flipped briefly into a bearish contango pattern on Monday, indicating the market is becoming over-supplied.

Bearish headwinds are mounting moving into the holiday period, when thinner trading volumes can exacerbate prices swings. Demand in Asia is softening, central banks are pivoting toward tighter monetary policy to try and rein in accelerating inflation.