I suggested a few weeks ago that rising crude oil prices along with seasonal demand and fuel requirements were the primary cause of this spring’s hike in U.S. gasoline prices. As Menzie noted yesterday, refining margins are clearly also now making an additional contribution. Which reminded me to look into the current status of the now decade-long effort of Arizona Clean Fuels to try to build a new refinery.
Author Archives: James_Hamilton
Peak oil in America
The following is an article I prepared for the Peak Oil Review, which is produced by the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas.
Bernanke on subprime mortgages
If Bernanke isn’t worried about subprime mortgages, should you be?
New study of the effects of oil price shocks on the economy
University of Michigan Professor Lutz Kilian, whose research we’ve often highlighted here ([1], [2]), and Michigan Ph.D. candidate Paul Edelstein have an interesting new paper on how energy price changes affect the economy.
Northern Ghawar is in decline
If you end up being surprised by the big story of the next decade, you can’t say, “nobody told us.” Instead you’ll have to say, “we didn’t listen.”
Deciding what to worry about
Why hasn’t construction employment plunged?
We’re well into a severe housing downturn by every measure except for the number of people working in residential construction.
Can this be true?
Via Captain’s Quarters, in response to the Rasmussen poll question
Did Bush know about the 9/11 attacks in advance?
allegedly 35% of American Democrats answered “yes” and another 26% said they are not sure.
If that’s accurate, America’s system for communicating facts and ideas is seriously broken. I’m wondering if that breakdown might be related to the following dilemma. If you are a liberal elected official or opinion maker who is shown evidence of such massive delusion, do you (a) try to correct it, or (b) try to exploit it?
New job creation slows significantly
No, I don’t like the latest employment numbers.
Auto sales down in April
The number of new cars and light trucks sold in America was down nearly 8% in April relative to the previous year. That’s a significant deterioration of the recent downward trend, but not yet a catastrophic plunge.