Investing.com - Oil struggled for gains on Thursday as a build in U.S. crude inventories and record Saudi Arabian output weighed on markets.
U.S. crude was little changed at $41.71 at 0709ET, while Brent crude rose 14 cents or 0.34% to $44.20
Weekly stockpile data showed U.S. crude inventories rose 1.1 million barrels last week, disappointing expectations for a 1.0 million-barrel decline.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia boosted its output to a record high in July, a sign that OPEC's largest producer remained focused on market share rather than tackling a supply glut by curbing production.
The kingdom pumped 10.67 million barrels per day last month.