Crude-oil futures were mixed in Asian trading hours Tuesday as markets await weekly data on U.S. oil inventories and the outcome of the Federal Reserve meeting later this week. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, light, sweet crude futures for delivery in April traded at $97.99 a barrel at 0607 GMT, down $0.09 in the Globex electronic session. May Brent crude on London’s ICE Futures exchange rose $0.30 to $106.54 a barrel. Oil prices dropped sharply overnight as the Ukraine crisis eased temporarily after Western sanctions on Russia were limited to specific individuals and officials. The situation could however escalate if Russia tries to encroach further into majority ethnic Russian territory in eastern Ukraine, prompting more severe economic sanctions. “The key point for the oil markets is that, in sharp contrast to Iran, Europe and Russia have a gun to each other’s head which should prevent either side from […]