Oil and natural gas futures moved in opposite directions. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude oil futures fell for the third straight session Monday while natural gas futures posted an impressive gain. The February WTI contract lost $1.08 Monday, settling at $50.51 per barrel. It peaked at $52.11 during the early week session and bottomed out at $50.38. Brent crude oil for March delivery ended the day below the psychologically significant $60-mark Monday, settling at $58.99 per barrel. The benchmark lost $1.49 during the session. Crude futures declined amid reports of negative economic news from China. “The world’s second-largest economy, and largest consumer of oil, reported a decline in its imports and exports for December,” Tom Seng, Assistant Professor of Energy Business at the University of Tulsa’s Collins College of Business, told Rigzone. “A resultant drop in global and U.S. stocks has put downward pressure on oil prices.” […]