After initially slipping, Brent crude futures were up 19 cents, or 0.23%, to $82.97 per barrel by 0410 GMT. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) ticked up by 20 cents, or 0.26%, to $76.88 a barrel.
Market sentiment was fragile as worries about further monetary tightening by the Fed have been exacerbated by high crude oil inventories in the U.S., analysts from ANZ Bank observed in a note on Monday morning.
"It's like the battle of surging activity data in the East meets macro malaise in the West", said Stephen Innes, managing partner of SPI Asset Management, commenting on the competing sentiment drivers in the crude market.
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