Brent crude oil futures traded steadily above $60 on Friday as a building supply glut and weak Japanese import data weighed on the market while strong U.S. economic data published over Christmas provided support. On the supply side, data suggested an increasing glut as a U.S. report showed crude inventories unexpectedly rose by 7.3 million barrels last week to their highest December level on record. Analysts had expected a seasonal draw. [EIA/S] The demand picture was mixed, with price supporting data from the United States where jobless claims fell and third-quarter economic growth indicated the quickest pace in over a decade. However, in Japan, crude imports in November dropped 17.3 percent from a year earlier to 14.68 million kilolitres (3.08 million barrels per day), data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed. Front-month Brent crude prices were trading at $60.68 at 0812 GMT, up […]