By Arathy SomasekharHOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil dropped by more than 1.5% on Monday after weaker than expected Chinese economic growth raised doubts over the strength of demand in the world's second biggest oil consumer, and a partial restart of halted Libyan output also pressured prices. China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 6.3% year-on-year in the second quarter, compared with analyst forecasts of 7.3%, as its post-pandemic recovery lost momentum. "The GDP came in below expectations, so will do little to ease concerns over the Chinese economy," said Warren Patterson, ING's head of commodities research. Oil briefly rose after a Reuters news alert on Saudi Arabia extending a voluntary output cut. Oil also came under pressure on Monday from the resumption of output at two of three Libyan fields shut last week.

Source: Libya Today July 17, 2023 02:27 UTC