NEW YORK, July 20 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures turned
negative in midday trading on Wednesday as investors liquidated
their August contract positions before its expiration at
the session's close.
August's decline also dragged down the upcoming front-month
September contract.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, August crude
was down 20 cents, or 0.21 percent, at $97.30 a barrel by 12:47
p.m. EDT (1647 GMT), after falling minutes earlier to a session
low of $97.16. The September contract fell 34 cents, or
0.35 percent, to $97.52, after dropping to a session low of
$97.43.
(Reporting by Gene Ramos)