Brent crude slipped toward $104/B on Wednesday after softer official manufacturing data from China chipped away at a fragile market sentiment, while fading hopes for US stimulus measures also weighed on prices, China’s official factory purchasing managers index dropped to an eight-month low in July, reviving concerns that the country’s economy was losing steam, along with other major Asian exporters Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan who reported worsening economic stress on Tuesday (Reuters). Brent crude fell 51 cents to $104.41/B, while US crude dipped 24 cents to $87.82/B.