In this article, we look at two things: the state of the U.S. economy as a whole and what we see developing in oil markets. The state of the U.S. economy is a key driver of oil demand.Stubbornly, oil markets have finally moved back into backwardation (meaning traders finally believe that by the end of the year, there will be more demand than supply...

As discussed in the last edition of The Five Star Standard, OPEC agreed to production cuts lead primarily by Saudi Arabia.As I noted, it was a bit of an uneasy truce and agreement among OPEC members.But as also noted in prior articles, Saudi Arabia took the laboring ore. OPEC was originally scheduled for an extraordinary meeting in Vienna April 17-...

Copious amounts have been written about the ongoing dialogue between the United States and China as they attempt to resolve their trade dispute.Many commentators have noted the ongoing strategic nature of the negotiations, both in terms of trade and in terms of other issues raised by U.S.-Sino relations, including but not limited to exertion of inf...

Building on our monthly newsletter, The Five Star Standard, this video recaps the most important events and news relevant to the oilfield services sector. Ty Chapman - PresidentFive Star Metals, Inc. Raising the Bar for Customer Service and Quality Connect on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Subscribe YouTube

Last month, I sent you all my outlook and market predictions for 2019. In that analysis, I spent a great deal of time focused on the supply side of the equation. In short, I predicted that continued growth in U.S. Shale production, coupled with OPEC+ (referring to OPEC members + Russia and others who had agreed to production cuts) rapidly rising pr...