Oil prices steady---

LONDON, June 26 (Reuters): Oil prices were steady on Monday, with political instability from an aborted revolt by Russian mercenaries over the weekend viewed by the market as not posing an immediate threat to oil supply from one of the world's largest producers.

Brent crude futures slipped 3 cents to $73.82 a barrel by 1332 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) was 14 cents lower, or 0.2 per cent, at $69.02. Both benchmarks gained as much as 1.3 per cent in early Asian trade.

Both Brent and WTI prices fell by about 3.6 per cent last week on worries that further interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve could sap oil demand at a time when China's economic recovery has also disappointed investors.