Oil steady as Russian crude products ban looms

LONDON: Oil prices held steady on Thursday as sanctions on Russian oil products raised supply uncertainty but the dollar declined in a bid to boost oil trading.

Brent crude futures fell 18 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $82.66 a barrel by 1415 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate US crude futures fell 3 cents to $76.38.

Both benchmarks fell more than 3 per cent overnight after US government data showed a big increase in oil stockpiles. An EU ban on Russian refined products is set to take effect on February 5, potentially further jolting global supplies.