WTI futures price saw a mild uptick to $79.07, driven by refinery run rates hitting seasonal highs. Bullish traders highlight a narrowing contango as sign of tightening near-term supply demand balance. Russia was advocating for a modest output increase, the same as in October, to avoid pressuring oil prices and because it would struggle to raise output owing to sanctions over its war in Ukraine, two sources said this week. The price development of WTI crude oil relative to Brent crude oil has been influenced by variances in U.S. crude oil transportation and increased U.S. oil production . New transportation infrastructure became operational in early 2013, easing the movement of crude oil in the mid-continent and raising the price of WTI. Since then, U.S. refineries have increased production of crude oil to record levels, also raising the price of WTI. Meanwhile, expedited crude transport in the U.S. put downward pressure on Brent crude oil as domestic crude replaced some imported Brent crude. Between 2014 and 2016, UK Brent prices dropped rapidly, as was the case for all other crude oils. WTI futures price gains to $79.27 on upbeat shipping throughput data from U.S. ports. Momentum traders track breakout triggers above $79.50 to target potential $81 run. If you want, I can also prepare a "visual technical chart projection" for WTI futures to support decision-making. Would you like me to add that?