NEW YORK—Oil prices bounced in a light-volume session on Thursday, on signs that the worst effects of the Omicron variant might be more containable than previously feared, even as countries imposed travel restrictions on surging infection levels.
The oil market has wavered in recent days over how seriously to take the threat of another slump in fuel demand. The Omicron variant is more transmissible than previous coronavirus variants, but early data suggests it causes a milder level of illness.