Crude was little changed in New York and poised for a second weekly increase. As Obama began G20 meetings in St. Petersburg with other leaders he sought to persuade allies to give the U.S. a measure of political cover, even if they withhold military support. Stockpiles at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for WTI contracts, dropped to the lowest level in 18 months.
GOLD
Gold fell from a two-week low, trimming the first back-to-back weekly drop since July, as investors weighed signs of an improving U.S. economy against the possibility of a U.S. strike against Syria. Gold has lost 18% this year amid expectations the Federal Reserve will pare asset purchases as early as this month. Data today may show that U.S. nonfarm payrolls expanded 180,000 in August, compared with an increase of 162,000 in July.