That improvement recently pushed prices to a two-year high of $63 for the global benchmark (Brent) and $57 for the U.S. oil benchmark (WTI). In fact, demand was remarkably strong in the second quarter, increasing by 2.2 million barrels per day (BPD) versus the year-ago period. Several factors are driving this decline, including warmer winter weather and the more than 20% recovery in crude, which will push gasoline prices higher and curb some demand.