Oil below $50 on fears of prolonged slowdown / 国际油价跌破50美元创三年半新低

Oil prices plunged over $3 Thursday, briefly dipping below $50 a barrel as 16-year high US unemployment figures and plummeting stock markets caused investors to price in lower crude demand.

Light, sweet crude for December delivery was down $3.25 to $50.37 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by early afternoon in Europe.

Crude briefly dipped below $50 for the first time since Jan 18, 2007 when prices struck $49.91, just a penny above the 2007 low.

On Wednesday, the contract fell 77 cents to settle at $53.62.

In London, January Brent crude fell $2.89 to $48.83 on the ICE Futures exchange.

Markets worried that a steep economic slowdown would cut demand for oil.

"People are saying this slowdown could be the worst since the Great Depression," said Toby Hassall, an analyst with investment firm Commodity Warrants Australia in Sydney. "There's definitely fear out there that it's going to be pretty severe."

由于全球经济衰退导致能源需求持续下降，国际油价20日创下三年半来新低，纽约市场油价跌破每桶50美元。

当天，纽约商品交易所12月份交货的轻质原油期货价格下跌4美元，收于每桶49．62美元，是自2005年5月以来的最低水平。伦敦国际石油交易所1月份交货的北海布伦特原油期货价格下跌3．64美元，收于每桶48．08美元。

随着金融危机对实体经济的影响加重，投资者担心能源需求会下降，这是导致近来国际油价大跌的主要原因。国际油价在过去5个交易日中连续下跌。由于美国上周原油商业库存增幅大于市场预期，纽约市场油价20日一开盘即大幅跳水，迅速跌至每桶50美元以下。

20日盘中，随着纽约股市三大指数在美国上周失业人数创16年来新高等负面经济数据影响下全线暴跌，纽约市场油价在短暂回弹后一路走低，盘中最低跌至每桶48．64美元。