Oil futures ended higher in thin holiday trading conditions Tuesday, with support tied in part to lingering geopolitical worries around Russia and the Middle East, though upside remains capped by expectations for a crude surplus amid a shaky outlook for demand.

Oil prices were up on Tuesday, reversing the prior session's losses on a brightening short-term market outlook tied to the prospect of slightly tightening supplies as trade thinned ahead of the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays.