Before I left for my break over the holidays, I penned an article outlining what I expected for crude in 2026. That is not an original idea, I will grant you, but I have found over the years that having a base case: a rational, unemotional, clearly defined view of what, all things being equal, will drive market pricing in the long term. Every short-term opinion can then be weighed against that long-term view in order to set appropriate time horizons and parameters for potential trades. But, as we now know, all things would not remain equal…