 Oil futures edged higher on Friday, with prices shaking off a steep loss on Monday to end the week with a gain. Oil prices had plunged in the early part of the week on "concerns that rising global delta variant infection rates could undermine the economic rebound," or slow it down, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. These worries haven't gone away, but even with the new OPEC agreement to raise output, there are still "residual concerns" that the market "could see supply struggle to keep up with demand, hence the recovery in prices heading into the weekend," he said. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery tacked on 16 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $72.07 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. For the week, prices based on the front-month contract prices rose 0.7%, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
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