Oil prices drop with focus on China, US

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in November slid $1.09 to $44.61 a barrel compared with Friday's close. Profits at China's major industrial companies saw their biggest declines in four years last month, official data showed Monday, the latest sign of weakness in the world's second-largest economy. Focus this week "is likely to remain on China... and on the US ahead of the employment report on Friday", Capital Economics said in a market commentary.