Analysts: With US-Iran talks imminent, oil traders are hedging their bets.

Crude oil futures prices remained largely unchanged as traders headed into the weekend, with planned talks between the US and Iran potentially determining the sustainability of the ceasefire in the Middle East. Scott Shelton of TP ICAP said, "Traders have essentially withdrawn from the market. A $7 swing like yesterday appears to have occurred with very little human intervention; they were simply hedging or clearing positions to further reduce risk exposure." He added, "Perhaps after this weekend, we'll have a clearer picture of whether the differences between Iran and the US are too great to prevent an agreement." (Jinshi)