Oil prices edged lower in early Asian trading on expectations that sanctions related to Venezuela would likely be eased. OCBC Group Research noted in a report that the U.S. military’s move to remove Venezuelan President Maduro “opens the door to a political transition, which could ultimately lead to the lifting of sanctions and spur a recovery in Venezuela’s oil sector.” OCBC added that, in the current market environment of ample supply, this development “has the potential to weigh on oil prices.”