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Marc Chaikin built the system that isolated NVDA before it became the best-performing stock of 2023. Click here to get his latest buy. More here.The oil cartel kept its word…

The plan was to cut production by 1.2 million barrels of oil per day through 2018… And the cartel is keeping its promise so far.

That has been a major boost for oil prices over the past year.

Crude oil broke above $60 per barrel in December – for the first time since 2015.

But oil prices faltered in recent weeks.

The fall broke double digits… And that could just be the start.

You see, two major red flags are occurring for oil today. And they point to much lower prices from here.

Let me explain…

Fourteen oil-producing countries make up the global oil cartel known as OPEC. Together, OPEC members account for nearly half of the world’s crude oil production.

To increase the price of oil, OPEC and some other oil exporters agreed to production cuts back in 2016. They’ve worked…

The American benchmark for oil prices – West Texas Intermediate crude oil – has soared. Prices are up nearly 70% since the beginning of 2016.

Can these elevated prices last? Maybe not…

Oil prices are already breaking down. They dropped more than 10% in recent weeks. And those declines could easily continue – for two reasons…

First, while OPEC has been making cuts, U.S. production has been filling the gap.

The U.S. just produced its highest levels of oil in nearly a half-century. According to the latest report from the Energy Information Administration, daily production broke 10 million barrels a day in November – the highest production level since 1970.

The U.S. is picking up OPEC’s slack. And that could put a strain on oil prices from here.

Next, oil sentiment is skyrocketing…

Futures traders are all betting on oil prices to continue higher. They’re currently near record levels of bullishness.

We can see this euphoria through the Commitment of Traders (COT) report for oil. The COT report is a great tool for contrarian investors. It shows us in real time what futures traders are doing with their money. If futures traders are all betting in the same direction, the opposite tends to occur.

Today, futures traders are all betting on higher oil prices. Take a look…

Today’s extreme optimism is above and beyond any level since the COT report began.

That’s the opposite of what you want to see as a contrarian. Traders absolutely love oil today, and that means a short-term fall in oil prices is the smart bet.

When you put these two red flags together, it’s hard to be bullish on oil.

Again, the U.S. is producing more oil per day than it has in nearly a half-century. That increased supply could be a strain on prices. And futures traders are all betting on higher oil prices today. That means a short-term pullback is likely.

I’m not saying to short oil today. But if you’ve profited in oil and energy investments in recent months, it’s probably time to take gains off the table.

Much lower oil prices are likely from here.

Good investing,

Brett Eversole

This Stock Could Go Up 66% or More [sponsor]
Marc Chaikin built the system that isolated NVDA before it became the best-performing stock of 2023. Click here to get his latest buy. More here.

Source: Daily Wealth