(MENAFN- AFP) World oil prices fell on Friday, coming under pressure following an equities sell-off and ahead of vital US payrolls data, analysts said.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for September delivery slid $1.08 to $97.09 a barrel.
Brent crude for September was down 71 cents at $105.31 in London early afternoon trading.
The equities sell-off has been attributed to a range of factors, including weak European inflation data, the Argentine default and softer US corporate earnings.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 1.88 percent to 16,563.30, erasing all its gains since the end of 2013.
Europe's stock markets also slid for a second day running on Friday in volatile trading as investors awaited US non-farm payrolls numbers.
Analysts said oil prices were also pressured by reports that a number of refineries in the US midwest were experiencing outages.
The concern is that crude inventories will build at the closely-watched Cushing, Oklahoma oil-trading hub where WTI is priced, with the supply glut dampening prices.
The outages come ahead of planned maintenance in September at many refineries as the summer travel season ends.
The outages are seen to have a greater impact on WTI prices. Brent crude is more exposed to the international oil market.
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