Oil prices held above $100 a barrel on Thursday as Iran seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz and peace talks with the United States remained deadlocked, even as Asian stock markets tracked Wall Street to record highs on strong corporate earnings.
Brent crude fell 15 cents to $101.76 a barrel after settling above $100 for the first time in more than two weeks on Wednesday, when both benchmarks closed more than $3 higher following larger-than-expected draws in US gasoline and distillate stocks and a lack of progress on negotiations. West Texas Intermediate slipped 14 cents to $92.82.
