Oil prices eased on profit-taking in Asian trade Monday after enjoying healthy gains at the end of last week. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March, dropped 30 cents to $97.47 a barrel in the afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for March shed 27 cents to $116.49. Crude prices were supported last week by US job data and by encouraging Chinese manufacturing figures that indicated the world’s biggest energy consumer is picking up strength after several quarters of slowing growth.