Crude oil prices were in mixed territory early in the Friday session following a record-setting day, though analyst sentiment still favors a bear market. The price for Brent crude oil , the global benchmark, made modest gains early Friday to trade near $65 per barrel, its record high for the year. Brent struggled to hold $50 per barrel in late 2014 and early 2015 as markets were weighed heavily on the supply side. For the week, the price is up 3.6 percent after hitting a record high for the year in Thursday’s session. Crude oil prices are low enough to put pressure on the exploration and production side of the global energy sector as companies […]