It has been an unpleasant month for oil traders. Crude oil has risen $3 this month but it's been a rough road getting there with repeated whipsaws intraday and extreme choppiness in trading. Headlines about the Red Sea have been faded over and over again despite bullish implications and fears of an OPEC breakdown remain high. However when you back it out, the chart starts to look promising. A series of higher lows began on December 14 and oil is now trading at a five-week high. If $76.16 breaks, it will be an six-week high.