US oil prices ease Thursday

prices eased Thursday but remained above $94 a barrel after sharp gains a day earlier on improved demand in the U.S, AP reported. Benchmark U.S. crude oil for February delivery was down 8 cents at $94.09 a barrel at midafternoon Kuala Lumpur time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract surged $1.58 to settle at $94.17 in New York on Wednesday. Brent crude, used to set prices for international varieties of crude, was down 44 cents at $105.83. The U.S. Energy Department reported that oil supplies fell bigger than expected by 7.7 million barrels last week, the seventh straight decline. The news pushed oil above $94 a barrel on Wednesday for the first time in two weeks.