Business

Oil prices extended their decline on Wednesday, deepening a selloff that pushed both major benchmarks to three-week lows. Brent crude futures fell 92 cents, or 1.2%, to $78.44 a barrel by 3:30 a.m. GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures dropped $1.07, or 1.4%, to $74.70. Brent had fallen more than 12% for the week. WTI had lost more than 11% over the same period.

Oil prices surged on July 29, pushing Brent crude above $90 a barrel as renewed Middle East fighting and tighter U.S. inventories lifted global benchmarks. Brent futures settled at $90.74, up $6.65, or 7.9%. West Texas Intermediate gained $5.20, or 6.6%, to $84.46. Both contracts posted their strongest daily advances in several weeks. The contracts had already gained more than 20% during July as regional supply disruptions affected energy markets.

June delivered the second-highest monthly installation count recorded in the UK. Only March 2026 ranked higher, with 28,782 installations. Solar capacity increased by 2.2 gigawatts, or 10.9%, during the 12 months through June. The country also recorded 269,000 installations during 2025, the highest annual total to date. Most systems installed that year were on homes, businesses and other buildings. Utility-scale projects also continued to raise the country’s overall solar generation capacity.