Oil prices were steady in midday trade, supported by further weakness in the US dollar, which hit fresh lows against the euro this morning, with volumes light due to the Thanksgiving day holiday in the US. Prices retreated from yesterday's highs near 100 usd a barrel after the US Department of Energy's inventory report yesterday came in mixed, with a build in crude stocks at the key WTI (West Texas Intermediate crude) delivery point at Cushing, Oklahoma, weighing on the complex. But weakness in the dollar, which has made dollar-denominated crude cheaper for holders of other currencies, has helped support prices today. The US currency hit a new record low in Asian trade on continued concern about a downturn in the US economy. "The dollar has slipped a bit further this morning," said Sucden analyst Michael Davies. "That is going to be the dominating factor." "It is very quiet, so unless we get some big news I don't think we will see an assault on 100 usd before next week," he added. At 12.18 pm, London's Brent crude for January delivery was trading up 15 cents at 94.99 usd a barrel, having hit its all-time peak price of 96.53 usd yesterday. Meanwhile, New York WTI crude for January delivery was down 5 cents at 97.24 usd a barrel, having hit a record high of 99.29 usd in Asian trading hours yesterday. Oil trading is expected to remain muted throughout the day, with the US markets closed for Thanksgiving Day. However, the low volumes seen in the market as a result could result in an exaggeration of price swings, analysts said. The market hit fresh highs yesterday on both sides of the Atlantic as expected tightness in supply through the winter and dollar weakness fuelled buying. Prices dipped, however, after a US Department of Energy inventories report showed a build in crude stocks held at WTI delivery point Cushing. Cushing crude stocks rose 1.2 mln barrels, though total US crude stocks posted a surprise 1.1 mln-barrel fall, in the week to Nov 16, the DoE said. The market is still eyeing the key 100 usd level marked out as the target for this bull run, but with prices having now twice stalled just ahead of that level, analysts are seeing strong resistance to the break. "100 usd a barrel is the obvious target, but with signs of slower US growth -- the worlds largest energy consumer -- it may be a little longer until we hit this milestone," said Tradindex trader Ben Coleman.