Early signs of growing demand for crude oil have prompted a market optimism that has led to increased WTI buying, setting the stage for the benchmark’s best-ever monthly performance , Bloomberg reports –even though the contract’s rally has been somewhat uneven. According to Bloomberg, West Texas Intermediate has increased by nearly 80 percent this month–the highest increase since 1983. Still, this month’s price rise has not been enough to offset the losses that the benchmark, along with all other benchmarks, suffered in the prior three months. WTI, therefore, is still 45 percent lower than it was at the beginning of the year and lower than the breakevens many U.S. shale producers. The immediate outlook for WTI, however, remains uncertain. For example, the Energy Information Administration, whose weekly petroleum status report is among the most closely watched indicators of the health of the oil market, yesterday reported another solid crude […]