Brent Crude Nears $80

Brent crude oil is closing in on the $80 price point Thursday afternoon, with WT reaching above $76 per barrel on healthy U.S. economic data combining with a force majeure at Libya’s largest oilfield and mounting tensions between Israel and Hamas. At 2:19 pm CDT, WTI crude was trading at $75.99 per barrel, a $0.76 (+1.01%) increase on the day. Brent crude was trading up $0.66 (0.84%) on the day at $79.04.  Geopolitical uncertainties—heightened by the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut—and a force majeure on…