Oil prices fell on Tuesday amid concerns over demand from China and caution ahead of testimony before Congress by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Benchmark Brent futures slipped 0.2 percent to $85.97 a barrel, with a weaker dollar helping cap the downside. WTI crude futures were down 0.2 percent at $80.30.
A fall in China's exports for the January-February period pointed to continued weakness in demand for the country's products.
China's exports declined 6.8 percent in the January to February period from the same period last year, reflecting the challenges posed by the global economy, official data showed today.
However, the annual decrease was slower than the 9.9 percent drop posted in December and also better than economists' forecast of 9.4 percent fall.
Despite re-opening of the economy, imports logged a double-digit decline of 10.2 percent in the January to February period that was worse than December's 7.5 percent decrease and the expected 5.5 percent fall.
Meanwhile, the dollar slipped in early European trade amid bets that Fed Chair Jerome Powell will sound less hawkish during a two-day testimony before Congress, beginning later in the day.
