By Arunima Kumar
(Reuters) -Oil prices were steady on Monday as traders awaited U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in the hope of some clarity on his policy agenda, including plans to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Brent crude futures were up 6 cents, or 0.07% at $80.85 by 1330 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 31 cents, or 0.4%, to $78.19.
The more active U.S. WTI crude March contract was up 9 cents at $77.48.
The focus is what executive orders Donald Trump will sign over the next 24 hours, said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.
Independent oil analyst Gaurav Sharma said that expectations are for Trump to “go hard after Iran and Venezuela’s oil industry, with stronger sanctions against Russian oil already in play and priced in”.
“This will largely keep the Brent front-month contract around the $80 mark until the Trump administration’s initial energy policies emerge,” he added.
Trump, who will be inaugurated later on Monday, is widely expected to make a flurry of policy announcements in the first hours of his second term, including an end to a moratorium on U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export licences as part of a wider strategy to strengthen the economy.
The Brent and WTI benchmarks advanced more than 1% last week for a fourth consecutive weekly gain after the Biden administration sanctioned more than 100 tankers and two Russian oil producers.
That led to a scramble by top buyers China and India for prompt oil cargoes and a rush for ship supply as dealers of Russian and Iranian oil sought unsanctioned tankers for oil shipment.
While the new sanctions could cut supply from Russia by nearly 1 million barrels per day (bpd), recent price gains could be short lived depending on Trump’s actions, ANZ analysts said in a client note.
Trump has promised to help to end the Russia-Ukraine war quickly, which could involve relaxing some curbs to enable an accord, they said.
Easing tension in the Middle East also kept a lid on oil prices. Hamas and Israel exchanged hostages and prisoners on Sunday that marked the first day of a ceasefire after 15 months of war.
(Reporting by Florence Tan and Arunima KumarEditing by David Goodman)
