U.S. benchmark West Texas intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 23 cents to $54.00 at 0746 GMT. Brent front-month March crude oil futures rose 31 cents to $57.16.

U.S. light crude was down 20 cents at $53.86 by 0930 GMT (4:30 a.m. ET), while North Sea Brent crude was up 5 cents at $56.27 a barrel.

The analysts predicting that Brent will average $58 a barrel next year expect $53 in the first quarter and $56 in the second. West Texas Intermediate will be about $1.40 cheaper than Brent in 2017, the estimates show. WTI settled at $53.90 in New York on Tuesday.

International Brent LCOc1 crude futures were trading down 7 cents, or 0.12 percent, at $56.02 a barrel at 0722 GMT (2.22 a.m. ET) after closing the previous session up 93 cents. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices CLc1 were down 8 cents at $53.82 per barrel after settling up 88 cents at $53.90 a barrel in the previous session.

London Brent crude for February delivery LCOc1 was down 1 cents at $55.15 a barrel by 0335 GMT (10.35 p.m. ET) after settling up 11 cents on Friday. Oil markets were closed on Monday after Christmas at the weekend. NYMEX crude for February delivery CLc1 was up 10 cents at $53.12 a barrel, after closing at a 17-month high on Friday.

Benchmark Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were trading up 56 cents, or 1 percent, at $55.48 a barrel at 1329 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were up 29 cents at $52.41 a barrel, not far off a one-week high of $52.52.

But for all the talk of trade barriers, oil prices rising on supply cuts, and planned U.S. tax cuts and infrastructure spending, the global inflation outlook hasn't changed much, even if the Fed is sounding more worried about it.

Brent crude futures were trading at $54.02 per barrel at 0808 GMT, flat from its last settlement. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 2 cents at $50.88 per barrel.

Средняя цена на нефть Urals за период мониторинга с 15 ноября по 14 декабря 2016 года составила $47,82068 за баррель, или $349,1 за тонну.

Oil production companies recorded positive earnings from their upstream (exploration and production) operations in the third quarter of 2016 for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2014.