Oil supply outages are multiplying around the world and are likely to grow worse in the second half of 2018. The disruptions reduce the odds of a supply-driven slide in oil prices. However, the prospect of a downturn due to a meltdown in demand is still a possibility. Concrete evidence of souring oil demand has not yet materialized, but warning signs for the global economy are starting to proliferate. The fallout from a global trade war is also growing by the day, with tit-for-tat measures spreading like wildfire. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on China, the EU, Canada and Mexico, and all have retaliated. The Trump administration has threatened to double down with more tariffs unless those countries relent. The latest from Washington was a proposal to restrict China from investing in U.S. technology companies, although after Monday’s stock market turmoil, the Trump administration has backed off that approach […]