Two of the biggest challenges facing energy investors so far this year have been extreme volatility in oil prices and the historic disconnect between the path of oil prices and the performance of energy stocks.

In this issue we take a closer look at both issues.

In particular, we’ll review some of the fundamental factors and narratives that have catalyzed major speculative inflows and outflows in the oil market so far in 2019 and our latest assessment of the outlook for oil in the second half of this year.

As we write this issue, the yield on 10-year US government bonds is just 2.12%, down from north of 3.2% as recently as November 2018.

Against that pay-nothing interest rate backdrop, you’d think MLPs with an average yield closer to 8% would be attracting attention from yield-hungry investors.

However, returns from MLPs have been mixed at best over the past year as investor fret about several issues including potential exposure to energy commodity prices, rising cost of capital, and MLP-to-corporation conversions.

In June each year, we conduct a detailed deep-dive analysis of the MLP industry timed to coincide with the conclusion of the annual MLP Association Conference. And we reveal the results of this analysis in the pages of Energy & Income Advisor.

This week, in Part I, we present our discussions surrounding 6 crucial, hot button “talking points” that are receiving the most attention from MLP investors these days and offer some of our top recommendations in the industry.

Around the middle of the month, we’ll be back with Part II of our Inside MLPs Mid-Year Review.

Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil prices have fallen around 9% from their late April highs to their early May lows amid a spate of concerns including: Trends in US oil production, OPEC’s commitment to recent supply reductions, rising US oil inventories, the health of the global economy and the pote ntial for a destabilizing US-China trade war.

All told, some of these factors appear eerily reminiscent of last October, the start of a serious sell-off in oil that saw WTI prices plummet from $76.90/bbl to the low $40s and Brent to fall from $86.74 to under $50/bbl.

Late last year, we took a look at supply and demand conditions in global oil markets and (correctly) predicted that the selling pressure was near an exhaustion point and that prices would see a sharp recovery into 2019.

With our targets for crude now achieved, and market volatility on the rise, it’s time for an updated deep dive into the oil markets.

Our conclusion: This is not the beginning of another late 2018 style market swoon nor are we seeing any evidence of excess global oil supplies. Rather we see the recent sell-off as a correction driven largely by hedge fund profit-taking following a record-setting start to 2019 for crude.

In this issue, we update our outlook for crude and explain some of the surprising factors behind last week’s larger-than-expected build in US oil inventories.