UPDATE 8-Oil prices drop as hopes fade for comprehensive U.S.-China trade deal

* Brent, WTI benchmarks fell more than 5% last week
* Supply challenges vex Iraq
* OPEC Sec Gen says too early to discuss more supply cuts

(Updates prices, adds commentary)
By Collin Eaton
HOUSTON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Oil prices settled lower on
Monday, paring earlier gains as hopes of a comprehensive
U.S.-China trade deal faded and a new poll showed analysts
expected U.S. oil crude inventories to have risen last week.
Brent crude LCOc1 settled down 2 cents, or 0.03%, at
$58.35 a barrel, after hitting a high of $59.68. U.S. West Texas
Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 settled at $52.75, down 6 cents
or 0.11%, after hitting a high of $54.06.
Hopes of progress in U.S.-China trade talks had helped lift
prices earlier in the session. U.S. and Chinese officials meet
in Washington on Thursday and Friday in a fresh effort to work
out a deal, which U.S. President Donald Trump said his
administration had a "very good chance" of achieving.
But China's Commerce Ministry tempered expectations when it
said it could reach a trade agreement on issues that both the
United States and China already agree on, but that it will set a
timetable for more difficult issues to be worked out next year,
according to tweets from a Fox Business reporter.
"That casts a big of a pall over the trade talks and
suggests they're not inclined to do a big deal," said John
Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.
"Earlier today prices were supported by optimism of a
U.S.-China deal," said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil
Association in Houston. "The market is disappointed there won't
be a comprehensive trade deal that's agreed to."
Adding pressure on prices, a new poll showed analysts expect
U.S. crude stocks increased last week. U.S. crude inventories
likely climbed for the fourth consecutive week last week, rising
an estimated 2.6 million barrels, a preliminary Reuters poll
showed. Both futures contracts ended last week with a more than 5%
decline after dismal manufacturing data from the United States
and China, with the trade war between the world's top economies
undermining global economic prospects.
Prices had climbed earlier on Monday as deadly
anti-government unrest gripped Iraq, the second-largest producer
among the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC). Iraq's oil exports of 3.43 million barrels per day (bpd)
from Basra terminals could be disrupted if instability lasts for
weeks, Ayham Kamel, Eurasia Group's practice head for Middle
East and North Africa, said in a note.
OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo said it was still
too early for the group to discuss deeper oil output cuts to
support prices, Russian news agency TASS reported on Monday.
Despite Monday's earlier gains, Brent is still down more
than 20% from the 2019 peak of $75.60 a barrel recorded in
April.
"It took it on the chin last week," said Robert Yawger,
director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York. "It was an
oversold market that some people in the spec community thought
they could push, and they've gotten a nice rally out of it
here."