HOUSTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Demand to lock in oil and

gas prices jumped to a record high on Friday on the AEGIS

hedging marketplace, as the harshest U.S. sanctions yet on

Russian energy trade sent oil prices to multi-month highs.

AEGIS, which says its clients' business represents about

25-30% of total U.S. oil production, recorded the highest

trading activity to date on its platforms on Jan. 10, as

producers capitalized on higher volatility, said Jay Stevens,

director of market analytics at AEGIS.

Hedging can help producers reduce risk and protect their

production from sharp moves in the market by locking in a price.

It can also give traders opportunities to profit from

volatility.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled

at $76.57 per barrel on Jan. 10, marking a three-month high.

Global benchmark, Brent crude futures settled at $79.76

a barrel, after earlier in the session exceeding $80 a barrel

for the first time since Oct.7.

Oil prices began to climb after traders in Europe and Asia

circulated an unverified document detailing the sanctions.

Later on Friday, the U.S. Treasury formally announced new

sanctions on the Russian energy sector, including oil majors

Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz to try to

curtail Moscow's ability to fund its war with Ukraine.

The sanctions also target over 180 tankers and dozens of oil

traders, oilfield service providers, insurance companies and

energy officials.