A turning point for crude?Yesterday saw a significant turnaround for crude prices. Having started Wednesday sharply lower, crude suddenly reversed. Front-month WTI had come close to breaking below $70 per barrel. But the turnaround saw it make back all its early losses and end the day creeping into positive territory. Prices have built on these gains this morning. Could this be an early sign that the bulls could take back control? If so, it’s certainly been a long time coming. But it will take a concerted and aggressive buying programme from current levels to drive out the shorts and take prices back above significant levels. Nevertheless, yesterday’s reversal may turn out to be the first step. As compelling as the ‘slowing demand growth’ argument has been in pushing oil lower, there comes a time when a story starts to lose its power. Could this be the case now, or are we witnessing a head-fake? It’s possible that the short-sellers are beginning to take a back seat now, particularly as traders continue to worry about the likely Israeli response to the Iranian missile attack earlier this month.
