One of the uncertainties in the energy market is how demand figures respond to higher oil prices, analysis finds. U.S. consumers are paying about 15 percent more for gas than they were last year. File Photo by A.J Sisco/UPI April 24 (UPI) — Market conditions are right for more U.S. oil exports, but that could change on seasonal factors and uncertainty about consumer demand, a market report found. The spread, or difference, between Brent crude oil, the global benchmark for the price of oil, and West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, is close to $6 per barrel, with the premium to Brent. Analysis from commodity pricing group S&P Global Platts found Brent was supported by global supply risks, while the U.S. benchmark was bogged down by the “relentless” increase in shale oil production. “The message implied by Brent’s greater premium to WTI has been for U.S. producers to ship […]