The rally in oil cannot be ignored here’s what it means for stock market investors

News Snapshot:

U.S. oil prices have climbed to their highest level since late October, as the rally in the key commodity becomes something equity investors cannot afford to look past. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose modestly Wednesday and at one point breached $86 a barrel, bringing the U.S. oil benchmark's year-to-date gain to 19%. Brent crude also climbed Wednesday and nearly eclipsed $90 a barrel. The global oil standard is up about 16% in 2024. Meanwhile, shares of Coterra Energy , our lone oil-and-gas holding, are up about 9% over the past month, among the top-performing portfolio stocks in that timeframe....