A worker checks the valve of an oil pipe at an oil field owned by Russian state-owned oil producer Bashneft near the village of Nikolo-Berezovka, northwest of Ufa, Bashkortostan, January 28, 2015. Oil prices were steady on Thursday, underpinned by a surprisingly large drop in U.S. inventory levels the previous day to stay within sight of this year’s highs hit in June. Brent crude futures were unchanged at $51.86 per barrel at 0913 GMT, after hitting a high of $52.09 the previous day. U.S. futures were down 5 cents at $49.78 a barrel Both contracts hit their highest in nearly four months on Wednesday after U.S. data showed crude oil stockpiles fell 3 million barrels last week to 499.74 million barrels, confounding expectations for an increase. Still, inventories are near record highs and even the prospect of a modest cut in production from the world’s largest exporters might not […]