Oil prices held steady on Thursday. Brent crude rose 0.3% to $45.77 a barrel, having fallen 0.5%, on Wednesday while, U.S. WTI crude inched up 1 cent to $43.40 a barrel. Prices were affected as massive hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico raced towards the heart of the U.S. oil industry, which has forced oil rigs and refineries to shut down production.