Even good news can do little to dispel the prevailing pessimism in the oil market. Hedge funds paused a swift increase last month in wagers on declining West Texas Intermediate crude prices. But there was little conviction behind a price rise, as futures shook off a report of declining U.S. stockpiles to finish last week 3.9 percent lower. “Sentiment still seems extremely bearish,” Tim Evans, a Citigroup Global Markets analyst, said in a telephone interview Friday. “We’re responding to every bit of bearish news, but we’re ignoring or seeing a limited reaction to any bullish news.”