Oil Ends July with Worst Monthly Loss for WTI in a Year

NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - Oil prices steadied on Friday after touching three-month lows amid a week-long selloff but still finished the month nearly 15 percent lower, with U.S. crude declining the most in a year because of a persistent glut.

Slower economic growth and high inventories of crude and refined oil products have driven Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures 20 percent below from their 2016 highs, technically placing them in bear market territory.

The two benchmarks matched April lows on Friday before their most actively traded contracts settled up on what traders said was short-covering by investors taking profit on bearish bets.

Hedge funds, some of the biggest bulls in oil, slashed their positive bets on WTI to a five-month low in the week to July 26, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data showed, amid growing worry about oil's fundamentals.

The dollar's drop to a three-week low also made greenback-denominated oil more affordable to holders of the euro and other currencies.

The September Brent contract, which expired as the front-month, settled at $42.46 a barrel, down 0.6 percent on the day and 14.5 percent on the month. That was the biggest monthly drop for Brent since December.

Brent's more actively traded October contract rose 30 cents to settle at $43.53, after hitting $42.52, its lowest since April 19.

WTI's front-month contract, September, rose 46 cents, or 1 percent, to settle at $41.60 a barrel, after slipping earlier to below $41 for the first time since April 20. For the month, the contract finished down 14 percent, the biggest decline for a WTI front-month since July 2015.

Crude prices are still up more than 55 percent from 12-year lows of $26 to $27 in the first quarter. The recovery faded after prices above $45 enticed U.S. oil drillers to return to the well pad. Drillers added 44 rigs in July, the most in a month since April 2014.

Cheap crude has led refiners to produce more fuel worldwide, adding to the oversupplied market. Oil majors Exxon Mobil Corp , BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Chevron Corp each had a poor second quarter because of weak refining margins.

"Doubts are rife as to whether the oil supply imbalance is indeed slowly drawing to an end," said Stephen Brennock, of London-based oil brokers PVM.

Some traders said oil could see technical support in the near-term after Brent and WTI fell below their 200-day moving averages on Friday.

Analysts in a Reuters survey said they expected higher oil prices this year based growth in demand.

"We are maintaining a bearish posture while at the same time suggesting that additional crude price declines of around $4 a barrel from current levels could require a few more weeks," said Jim Ritterbusch of Chicago-based oil markets consultancy Ritterbusch & Associates.