Cognitive Dissonance in the 2006 Economic Report of the President
Category Archives: energy
Oil shocks and personal saving
Mark Thoma notes some interesting thoughts by Harvard professor Martin Feldstein on why the oil shock of 2005 was not more disruptive.
A proposal for Iraq
Here are some thoughts on how to get the vast oil wealth of Iraq working most quickly and effectively to benefit the Iraqi people.
Are the oil companies earning enough profits yet?
“Drivers Upset By Record Oil Company Profits”, reports CBS3 News in Philadelphia, and quotes one driver as describing the oil companies as: “Robbers, thieves, taking advantage of the people.”
Autos and the U.S. economy
A number of analysts have suggested that autos play a much less significant role in the U.S. economy today than they have historically. The data from 2005 would seem to call that conclusion into question.
Soaring commodity prices
Is U.S. monetary policy behind the surge in commodity prices?
Strange ideas about the Iranian oil bourse
The internet can be a good source of information about issues that aren’t adequately covered by the mainstream media. It can also be a font of considerable kookiness.
Oil market jitters
The February oil futures price on NYMEX has jumped $8 a barrel in the last three weeks. It’s useful to try to put this into a broader view of what’s going on in the world oil market.
2005: the oil shock that didn’t bite?
All but one of the recessions in the United States since World War II have been preceded by a dramatic increase in oil prices. Did we escape unscathed in 2005?
Some worries for 2006
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, oil closed back up above $63 a barrel today. I earlier expressed the opinion that demand pressure would prevent an oil price collapse. But the news driving the market this week seems not to be demand but instead new concerns about supply.