- Oil futures rose over 3% Monday morning as Saudi Arabia boosted its price for its crude (BBG)
- The price hike could be a signal that the kingdom expects high demand for its crude despite fears of the Omicron variant
- Initial data from a major hospital complex in South Africa's Omicron epicenter show patients need less medical intervention
- The chances of Iran rejoining the nuclear deal may be slipping away, according to the U.S. (Bloomberg)
- The U.S. briefing over the weekend was one of the most pessimistic American assessments of the negotiations yet
- In the seventh round of talks last week, Iran walked back many offers made in previous sessions and demanded sanctions relief that went beyond the terms of the original 2015 nuclear agreement
- Iran’s strategy appears to be to race ahead with nuclear advances to get more leverage in the talks; an official told Bloomberg