NEW YORK, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices settled mixed Monday as traders eyed an oil-worker strike in Nigeria.
A major Nigerian oil union said on Monday that it would suspend a nationwide strike after securing worker demands through dispute resolution with the government and an oil firm, according to CNBC.
The strike by Nigerian oil workers had sparked concerns over exports from Africa's largest crude producer.
Meanwhile, the number of rigs operating in U.S. oil fields fell by 4 to a total of 747 rigs last week, marking the first decrease in six weeks, oilfield service firm Baker Hughes said in its weekly report on Friday.
The West Texas Intermediate for January delivery decreased 0.14 U.S. dollar to settle at 57.16 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for February delivery added 0.18 dollar to close at 63.41 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.
