Oil prices fell today as investment funds took profits from recent strong gains made on supply concerns for the northern winter and violence in the Middle East.
Benchmark Brent crude fell 43 cents to $29.13 a barrel in London and US light crude for December delivery fell 41 cents to $31.96 a barrel.
US futures regulator the Commodity Futures Trading Commission reported late last week that crude speculators built up a large net long position over the week through November 11th.
This helped push prices up 12 per cent last week to their highest level in more than a month and analysts said that speculators would now look to take profits.
A US government report showing crude and heating oil stocks falling ahead of winter bolstered last week's gains.
Refined oil product stocks are below comfortable levels in the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, ahead of colder northern hemisphere temperatures.