Getty Images An oil pump is viewed in Big Springs, Texas. Getty Images Oil prices already gave back much of December’s gains, following rising global supplies and easing tensions in the Middle East. Let that be a warning to bond investors who expected higher oil prices to provide a lifeline to embattled U.S. oil-and-gas companies, where defaults have been on the rise. Prices for West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, briefly settled at a seven-month high on Jan. 6 at $63.27 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, according to FactSet data, following rising U.S.-Iran tensions after the U.S. killing of Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general. But on Wednesday WTI for March delivery CLH20, -3.94% settled at $56.74 a barrel on fears of oversupply of crude , which was the lowest settlement for a front-mont contract since Dec. 3, according to Dow Jones Market Data. “We […]