• Oil was steady near the the lowest level since mid-March as traders tracked tensions in the Middle East and a mildly bearish US stockpiles report.
• Brent traded near $83 a barrel, closing just above the 100-day moving average in the previous two sessions. Futures have traded in a range of just over $1 so far this week. West Texas Intermediate was above $78 a barrel. With Israel’s military edging into the Gazan city of Rafah, a truce deal between the Jewish state and Hamas remains elusive.