Crude made a steady comeback this year and sentiment has climbed alongside it, with the net-long position rising for the sixth straight week in data posted on Friday.
West Texas Intermediate crude prices rallied almost 5% this week as OPEC stuck to output cuts and blackouts continued to sap Venezuelan production. While the economic outlook remains uncertain, there have been enough positive signs --- including encouraging US jobs data --- to allay the worst fears about demand, said Nick Holmes, an analyst at Leawood, Kansas-based Tortoise.
“China has put on stimulus, the Fed is pretty much all-in dovish on interest rates and it seems like we could be near an end to the trade war,” said Holmes, whose firm manages $16 billion in energy investments.