Do the ongoing surge in gold and oil prices and slide in the dollar signal a resurgence of inflation?
Category Archives: energy
Well then, would $100 a barrel worry you?
A week ago I reviewed the reasons why $90-a-barrel oil by itself would not be enough to cause an economic recession. As oil prices charged up to $96 on Friday, a reporter asked me at what price I’d change my mind.
Policies for a Slowdown: Pushing up Oil Prices
I find it interesting that one of the big drags on economic growth — namely high oil prices — is at least partially self-induced by United States policy.
Does Dollar Weakness ‘Cause’ High Oil Prices?
There’s an idea floating around that asserts that the high price of oil is — at least in part — due to the weak dollar. Does this make sense?
$90 a barrel: Is it time to start worrying about the oil price shock of 2007?
Oil shocks in 1973, 1979, and 1990 were each followed by a recession. But we saw the price of oil climb from $20 a barrel in 2002 to $75 a year ago, and so far it has not resulted in a significant economic downturn. What’s different now, and can we count on it to continue?
Why is oil above $90?
The answer is pretty simple, really– demand keeps going up but supply doesn’t.
Speculation and fundamentals in oil prices
Knzn asks about the significance of the shift from contango to backwardation in the term structure of crude oil futures. I think one thing it signifies it that some OPEC spokesmen are simply blowing smoke.
OPEC production quotas
How should we interpret yesterday’s announcement from OPEC?
Open thread on declining Saudi oil production
An article I wrote on Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar oil field appears in the latest issue of Atlantic magazine. I’m putting up this post primarily to provide a forum for readers who might want to offer comments on that discussion.
Ethanol and food price volatility
If this is what we get in a good year, what will happen when we have a bad crop?