Crude oil prices edged slightly higher early Thursday after reports of the loss of Libyan oil production, though the downturn was balanced by OPEC pledges. The National Oil Corp. of Libya said Thursday it evacuated staff from two of its export terminals because of armed clashes in the port area. It estimated production was down about 240,000 barrels per day, more than a quarter of total Libyan output, and tanker traffic was delayed at sea. The loss of Libyan oil production comes at a time when the oil market is showing a near-deficit in terms of levels held by the world’s leading industrialized economies. The International Energy Agency warned there’s little spare capacity to buffer against any […]