Brent crude advanced to near its highest level in three weeks as violence in South Sudan forced a partial shutdown of oil production facilities. Futures were up as much as 0.3 percent and are poised to end the year higher for the fifth time. Fighting in South Sudan , which exports about 220,000 barrels a day, has killed at least 500 people and led to the evacuation of employees from India ’s Oil & Natural Gas Corp. There will be no floor or electronic trading tomorrow due to the Christmas holiday. “There is thin holiday trading today and Brent prices are being sustained by political concerns surrounding South Sudan,” Andrey Kryuchenkov , an analyst VTB Capital in London , said by phone. “We’ll wait and see how the broader market reacts to the instability there as more news trickles out.” Brent for February settlement rose as much as 28 […]