Oil futures settled lower Wednesday as uncertainty continued to surround the outlook for energy demand, with Mohammad Barkindo, secretary general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Wednesday calling the economic environment “challenging.” However, prices ended higher for the quarter as traders bet that the OPEC and its allies, together known as OPEC+, will agree on Thursday to extend production curbs. “There is massive pent up demand for oil in the global economy, but the recovery is not linear,” said Peter McNally, global sector lead for industrials, materials and energy at Third Bridge. “Until the recovery is clear, we expect OPEC to remain cautious about adding more barrels to the market. West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery CLK21,
