Maybe it’s time to try something new. And maybe it’s already starting.
Category Archives: energy
More speculation about those oil speculators
I normally leave it to folks like Dean Baker to beat up on the press. But I can’t resist shining a bright light on today’s story about oil speculators in the Washington Post, which has also been discussed by Mark Thoma and Tyler Cowen.
Economic consequences of falling oil prices
I’ve maintained that rising oil prices put a significant burden on the U.S. economy in recent months. How much will falling oil prices help to alleviate those concerns?
Drilling Offshore to Affect World Oil Prices… and Other Tales from the Iraq-Pakistan Border [0]
Various individuals have argued for drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as a means to affect the price of oil. This is true despite this recent assessment by the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, the Federal Government’s nonpartisan analytical group on energy issues. From Annual Energy Outlook related analyses (June 2007):
Core inflation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday that its primary consumer price index CPI-U rose 5.6% over the last year. That’s the highest inflation rate in 17 years, the newspapers all call to our attention. Just how concerned should we be about these numbers?
Americans making changes
American energy consumption is dropping. But will falling gasoline prices reverse that trend?
Current Account Adjustment Redux? What’s Different this Time Around
Oil and the dollar
Although movements in the value of the dollar are one factor contributing to recent changes in the dollar price of oil, I do not believe they are the most important factor. Here I review some of the evidence that persuades me of this.
Oil prices, autos, and the U.S. economy
It’s instructive to compare what’s currently happening to the auto sector and the U.S. economy with what we saw in the wake of the 1990 oil shock.
Oil prices and demand
More evidence of significant changes in the behavior of American consumers.