Crude oil prices today held on to earlier gains made this week that pushed them to the highest in almost two months as fears of a further escalation of violence in the Middle East and expectations of robust demand in the U.S. sparked optimism among traders. Brent crude remained above $86, inching closer to $87 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was above $83 per barrel at the time of writing. On Monday, prices jumped by 2.5%, pushed higher by summer driving season demand expectations. However, speaking to Reuters, oil analyst…
