With world oil supplies already stressed by production cutbacks in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, worries that the Israeli conflict might further disrupt oil shipments have produced new price highs. How does that affect the prospects for an economic downturn?
Author Archives: James_Hamilton
Are we there yet?
Almost, but not quite, sayeth the fed funds futures.
China roars into the automotive era
Guess who’s now the second-biggest market for new cars in the world?
Questions remain about Saudi oil
Is Saudi Arabia part of the reason for oil’s new price highs?
The Fed speaks and markets listen
Tim Iacono at The Mess That Greenspan Made had some interesting graphs this week.
All eyes on housing
Mark Thoma notes that the most recent FOMC statement has changed from declaring growth is “likely to moderate” to “Recent indicators suggest that economic growth is moderating”. The first stages of the long-anticipated cooling of the housing market certainly appear to be here now.
Energy independence
A reader writes, “Can you provide for readers of Econbrowser a range of estimates for the price of crude oil at which the US would be self-sufficient in the present and near future?”
EPA report on boutique fuels
There is a curious difference between the EPA report on boutique fuels that was actually released by the EPA and the account in the mainstream press.
Oil market predictions
Cambridge Energy Research Associates seems to be substantially less optimistic than they were a year ago.
Inflation and the Fed
Certainly the recent inflation data have been– Dave Altig says
insert something negative here, so I’ll just say “unwelcome”. But when Fed Chair Ben Bernanke declared that’s exactly the way he sees it, too, markets stood up and took notice. Let’s review some of the dramatic market adjustments that have occurred since Bernanke’s June 5 remarks.