Oil prices steady after US stockpile swell. On Thursday, oil prices remained steady despite optimism about recovering Chinese demand being offset by U.S. crude inventories reaching their highest level in months and indications that the U.S. Federal Reserve could continue raising interest rates. Brent crude oil futures rose 30 cents per barrel to $85.39 a barrel by 0856 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude crude futures rose 26 cents per barrel to $78.73 a barrel. Both benchmarks have gained approximately 7% this week. Tamas Varga, a PVM analyst, stated that "relentlessly rising U.S. Commercial inventories and potentially entrenched inflation limit…