American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.811745; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.159113; American Dollar to Euro = 1.249022; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.009103; American Dollar to…

Crude oil futures steadied on Monday, supported by a rebound in stock markets and escalating Saudi-Iran tensions. Global stocks came off six-week lows on optimism that the United States and China are set to begin trade talks, easing fears about a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. The possibility of a full-blown trade war had weighed on the energy complex on fears that it could harm oil demand. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 9 cents at $70.54 a barrel at 1206 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 eased 5 cents to $65.83.

Futures in New York were little changed, putting them on course for a 2.8 percent drop in February. An industry report was said to show U.S. oil inventories rose last week, which would be the fourth expansion in five weeks if confirmed in government data. The head of OPEC plans to dine with shale producers in Houston next week at a time when America is pumping at record levels and threatening the group’s efforts to curb a global glut. U.S. crude output is forecast to rise to a record level in February, stoking fears that shale producers may derail OPEC’s strategy of reducing output to clear a global glut. The producer group’s Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said he will meet with U.S. shale company executives for dinner on Monday in Houston, the second time he has met with some of the cartel’s top rivals.