CNBC | US oil settles down 21 cents, or 0.52%, at $40.54 a barrel CNBC U.S. crude closed lower on Thursday on pressure from large inventory builds, while Brent oil erased its early losses to trade steady on support from a weak dollar and higher gasoline prices. Brent futures were up 8 cents at $44.22 a barrel by 2:33 p.m ... Oil Prices Slip After Bearish US Inventory Data Brent steady, US crude down; dollar, gasoline limit oil's downside Oil price firmer as bargain hunters dip into market |