It is too soon to know for sure if we have turned the corner on the gloom period, but there are many interesting benchmarks from the first quarter of 2015 to give cause for a little optimism.

Crude Oil

Let’s look at the American crude oil situation, for example. In spite of predictions of a weakening or flattening market, US crude oil output actually rose in May to a level not seen in 43 years. Output reached 9.6m b/d. End-user demands, such as from US refineries is pushing this surge, as is evidenced by the fact that more than 1m b/d of oil is being consumed than supplied from imports and domestic producers. These positive indicators have caused a slight uptick in the futures market, but it is yet to be borne out if this is warranted, as inventory remains flush.

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