The stronger crude oil demand outlook is likely the main reason for higher crude prices across the entire futures curve, whereas the near-term supply concerns are putting additional upward pressure on prices for near-term delivery.

Brent for June settlement increased as much as $1.23, or 2.7 percent, to $46.97 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract gained $1.26 to $45.74 a barrel on the on Tuesday. The global benchmark crude traded at a premium of $1.91 to WTI.

At an average price of $53 per barrel of oil means the world’s 50 biggest publicly traded companies in the industry can stop bleeding cash, according to oilfield consultant Wood Mackenzie Ltd. Nabors, which owns the world’s largest fleet of onshore drilling rigs, said it has already been talking with several large customers about plans to boost work in the second half of the year if prices rise "comfortably" above $50.

Amid improving market sentiment and a weakening dollar, the World Bank is raising its 2016 forecast for crude oil prices to $41 per barrel from $37 per barrel.

A global crude oil deficit will develop before the end of this year, the chairman of Facts Global Energy consultancy Fereidun Fesharaki said Monday.

Смысл был договариваться в феврале, есть он и в апреле. Но, действительно, чем больше времени проходит, тем более значимыми становятся фундаментальные рыночные факторы. За счет снижения инвестиций в отрасль в результате низких цен предложение будет снижаться. Мы видим, что только за последние два года мейджоры существенно подсократили свои инвестиционные программы, общее недофинансирование отрасли составляет около $400 млрд. Наблюдается падение добычи сланцевой нефти в США уже больше чем на 500 тыс. баррелей с пиковых величин — сейчас они добывают меньше 9 млн баррелей в сутки. Это все будет влиять на то, что при росте спроса предложение будет снижаться, рынок все равно выровняется.

The May crude oil contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange climbed $1.55 on Apr. 20 to $42.63/bbl. The June contract was up $1.71 to $44.18/bbl.

"I think $45 is a bit of a relief for all the oil producers around the world, but this is still far lower than to make the entire shale oil production profitable for the United States."

Brent crude oil was last up 2.1% at $43.82 a barrel, above where it was before talks about a production freeze collapsed over the weekend. Analysts said oil prices drew support on Tuesday from a strike by oil workers in Kuwait, reducing concerns about a global glut of supply.

The Russian camp was locked in negotiations with the Saudis, Qataris and Venezuelans — a core group that had first backed the freeze in February.

Some 18 OPEC and non-OPEC countries, including Russia, had been meant to meet on Sunday morning in the Qatari capital of Doha and rubber-stamp a deal - in the making since February - to freeze output at January levels until October 2016.

«Рост спроса на нефть в мире ежегодно составляет около 1 млн баррелей в сутки. Это означает, что в отрасли должен быть инвестиционный потенциал не только для сланцевых проектов, но и для других участников рынка».

“A flat output profile for OPEC (excluding Iran) and Russia would tighten global balances by almost 0.5 million barrels a day in the second half relative to our expectations and push the oil market into a deficit in the third quarter,” the U.S. bank wrote in a note on Wednesday. That would “push prices above $50 near term,” it said.

The contango between futures prices in the fourth quarter of 2016 and the average of 2017 has shrunk from $3.75 per barrel in December to $2.50 at the end of February and just $1.65 in recent days.

North Sea Brent crude oil prices averaged $38/barrel (b) in March, a $6/b increase from February. Both Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices are forecast to average $35/b in 2016 and $41/b in 2017. However, the current values of futures and options contracts suggest high uncertainty in the price outlook.