The price for Brent, the crude oil benchmark based on North Sea blends, was off close to 3 percent from the previous session to trade near the $46 per barrel mark, the second consecutive day below $50 per barrel and a 5 1/2-year low. Oil prices are off more than half their June value, falling as markets swing to the supply side in a weakened global economy. The British economy became the latest to show signs of a slowdown. The Office for National Statistics said Tuesday consumer price inflation in December was down 0.5 percent and 1 percent for November, some of the lowest rates on record . British economic data mirrors developments emerging elsewhere in the region. Inflation in an already struggling eurozone turned negative in December, driven in large part by falling energy […]