Oil prices take another dive

Oil prices’ wild ride continued in early trading Monday morning, with U.S. crude sliding back below $45 per barrel after a major rally late last week.

Reuters reports that U.S. crude had dropped 81 cents to $44.41 by 10:52 Greenwich Mean Time on Monday. Brent crude, the world benchmark for prices, meanwhile, slid back below $50 to $48.91.

U.S. crude had climbed 12 percent last week after falling below $40 per barrel as part of a more than monthlong slide from the $65 range in June.