Oil prices were under sustained pressure on Monday.
In the morning a barrel (159 liters) of North Sea Brent cost 78.64 dollars.
That was 25 cents less than on Friday.
The price of a barrel of American West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 14 cents to $ 75.80.
This means that prices are close to their lowest level since the beginning of October.
Speculations about a coordinated release of national oil reserves continue to determine the market.
China has already announced such a move, and it is speculated that the United States and Japan could follow suit.
Should it come to that, the three largest economies in the world would brace themselves against the still high oil prices.
In October, the two most important types of oil had risen to multi-year highs.
At the same time, recourse to the national crude oil reserves would take place at a time that is characterized by increasing corona infections in many places.
The situation is becoming increasingly cloudier, especially in Europe, and infections are starting to rise again in the USA.
In the past, a more tense corona situation was often accompanied by a gloomy economic outlook and falling oil prices.