While oil futures prices rebound with vigor as analysts cite strong demand, the physical crude market tells a much more cautionary tale. Tens of millions of barrels are struggling to find buyers in Europe with traders of West African, Azeri and North Sea crude blaming poor demand. The deep disconnect between the oil futures and physical markets looks similar to the events of June 2014 when the physical market weakness became a precursor for a futures price crash. “Being large physical buyers of crude we have a direct pulse of the market and feel immediately when it is well supplied, as is happening now,” Dario Scaffardi, executive vice resident and general manager of independent Italian refiner Saras, told Reuters. “In the short-term, futures prices do not necessarily reflect accurately the physical market.” Benchmark Brent oil futures prices LCOc1 more than halved between June 2014 and January […]