The Nymex crude oil futures market is in a six-week-old uptrend on the daily bar chart. Prices this week briefly traded above the key $50-a-barrel level. Bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage, but the going gets much tougher for the bulls when prices push above $50.00. The recent uptrend in the oil market is a bullish underlying element for the raw commodity sector. Stay tuned!–Jim