NEW YORK: Oil prices edged lower in choppy trading yesterday as economic concerns and expected production and pipeline restarts offset fears about Middle East turmoil and the potential threat to the region’s supply.

A warning from industrial equipment giant Caterpillar Inc. on a global economy slowing faster than expected weighed on crude prices, along with a data showing tumbling Japanese exports, combined to weigh on oil prices, especially US crude as the front-month November contract approaches expiration. “I think the outlook from CAT is weighing on the overall demand outlook for oil, helping to push prices lower,” said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

TransCanada Corp’s expectation that on Monday it will restart its Canada-to-US Keystone crude oil pipeline added pressure on crude oil futures.

Maintenance-curbed North Sea production, the fear premium associated with Middle East turmoil and recent central bank moves to bolster slowing economic growth have combined to support prices, while uncertainty about Europe and slowing growth in China have weighed on oil prices.

Brent December crude edged down 34 cents to $109.80 a barrel by 1603 GMT, having fallen to a session low of $ 109.47, the lowest Brent price since Oct. 4

The North Sea Buzzard oil field is expected to restart on Oct. 25 or 26 after a maintenance shutdown, a trade source said, as many as three days later than previously thought.

Expiring US November crude was down 65 cents at $89.40 a barrel, back below $ 89.98, the 100-day moving average, a technical level monitored by chart-watching analysts and traders. December was down 63 cents at $89.81.