Oil soars 2.9% to 3-year high, settling at $68.47, as US crude stockpiles drop
Source: CNBC
Oil prices rose to their highest level since late 2014 after government data showed U.S. crude stockpiles fell last week and as the market continued to worry about supply disruptions in key fossil fuel-producing nations.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures ended Wednesday's session up $1.95, or 2.9 percent at $68.47, the best settle since Dec. 1, 2014. The contract hit an intraday high going back to Dec. 2, 2014.
International benchmark Brent crude oil futures also hit hit a new intraday high going back to November 2014. The contract rose $1.90, or 2.7 percent, to end the session at $73.48 a barrel.
Brent's settlement marked its best close since Nov. 26, 2014, the day before OPEC refused to take steps to stop a decline in oil prices, sparking a sharp sell-off that ultimately sent oil prices to 12-year lows.
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Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/18/us-crude-tops-68-for-the-first-time-in-more-than-three-years.html
Saw gas prices at $2.79 a gallon today.
So many Victories!!!!!111
S.E. TN Liberal
(508 posts)nm
cstanleytech
(26,293 posts)reign him in if they wanted to which they do not as they are co conspirators.
Rebl2
(13,516 posts)Prices have steadily gone up under Trump.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)This is what happens when wall street operatives and the wealthiest are in control of the show.
dalton99a
(81,513 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)dalton99a
(81,513 posts)TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)democratisphere
(17,235 posts)At the end of the day this is what it's all about.
quartz007
(1,216 posts)when price had dropped under $30/barrel? I loaded up on energy stocks 2 years ago and now enjoying a happy retirement.
MichMan
(11,932 posts)I was driving 100 miles a day for work and spending around $500 a month
Gas is still over $1 cheaper a gallon than it was back then
Try 2007
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)I bought a small compact car that got 35+ mpg and put my pickup truck (17 mpg) into semi retirement. I figured the car would pay for itself in gas savings and I'm pretty sure that it has done so.
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)That it means the Canadian tar sands are going to be economically viable again!
not fooled
(5,801 posts)He was installed into the presidency to bring back $4/gal gasoline, among other things.
Hope the morans who voted for him understand when gas is back to bush-era highs.
Too bad the rest of us have to suffer, as well.
C Moon
(12,213 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,492 posts).......
cubbies01
(85 posts)Sucked the life out of many peoples spending money.
MichMan
(11,932 posts)Here is a graph of inflation adjusted gas prices over the last few decades
http://zfacts.com/gas-price-history-graph
paleotn
(17,920 posts)Not the straw, but a straw that broke the economy's back. It had a significant impact on demand, at a time when we needed all the demand we could get. Back then, we actually kicked around the idea of a 4 day work week for admin staff since fuel prices were so high.
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)If there was a spike in 2014 it was short-lived, overall average over the past 10 years has been far, far lower than 2002-2008. I was there.
This all being said ... higher gas prices will encourage development of alternatives, and cut down on consumption, and reducing greenhouse emissions, so at least there is that.
The key concern though is ... what are the actual 'on the ground facts' involved in the consumer price rising? Is it just profit-taking, or is it because petroleum is legitimately harder to produce? It's not an unlimited resource, and mankind is, at this point, tapped out on 'cheap petroleum' ... that shit is LONG AGO burnt up.
At this point, energy return on energy invested is far, far lower than it was 20 years ago, let alone 50 years ago.
Rising prices, though they MAY be due to 'profit taking' and 'speculation', can ALSO be caused by actual/legit supply-side issues and demand exceeding production capacity. Many of us expected 'peak oil' to start 10 years ago ... then 2007-8 happened, and demand dropped and fracking kicked up for a while anyway ... at SOME point, petroleum prices will begin rising, and will NEVER drop like they did after the market crash again. The death spiral on supply is GOING to happen ... period.
IMHO humanity just squandered a GOLDEN opportunity to hugely invest in renewables over the past 10 years (should've started in the 1970's but hey, we were given one more chance) ... most of the world just pissed it away, stupidly. Humanity should've been utilizing what was likely the last gasp of relatively cheap energy to build wind farms, solar panels, large-scale storage systems, and YES, more nuclear facilities where needed (also a clean energy source) over the last 10 years, and some countries did ... they were the smart ones.
But most places? NO, we have entrenched 'interests' pumping out cornucopian, climate change denial propaganda to morons ... who bought their bullshit. They have most likely doomed humanity with their GREED and IDIOCY ... SAD.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,492 posts)This may be market manipulation to gain political leverage with the public to allow more drilling with less regulation. With Trump's cabinet, we know they're salivating to do it without limits - shale, tar sands and the Arctic. They also need to reward their energy market political donors and Middle Eastern friends.
Unrest in the Middle East is not helping, either - especially sword-rattling with Iran.
........... ..........
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)steadily going here in Dumbfuckistan since Fuckhead was elected POTUS.....(up 85 Cents/ gal).. Sure would like some of that ole cheap Obama Gas once again!
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)This hidden tax on the working folks will ripple through the economy driving up the costs of everything, just as it did last time. I recall the amazed look on my SILs face when I made the same point in 2007. She blew me off until I pointed out that absolutely nothing gets to a store shelf without it first being on the back of a truck.
OnlinePoker
(5,721 posts)pwb
(11,275 posts)Everything is fucked up under republicans. America last.
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)The US still imports on net at least 40% of the petroleum we consume, for whatever purpose.
The VAST MAJORITY of 'gasoline' that we supposedly 'export' ... is in fact the product of other countries shipping THEIR crude to the USA, availing themselves of our advanced Coastal refining facilities, wherein we are turning their oil into distillates such as gasoline (in some cases, we have the ONLY refineries capable of turning their petroleum into gas), then we ship it back to them, or to their end consumers, with the our refiners pocketing a nice fee.
This process falls under the calculation of 'US Gasoline Exports'. I.E., the vast majority of what people think we 'export'? It wasn't 'our' petroleum to begin with.
Anyone believing that we are not still A MASSIVE NET IMPORTER of Petroleum, is woefully mistaken. The Saudi's, we are not. And will never (again) be.
pwb
(11,275 posts)its new that we export gas. i don't buy your opinion. sorry. any proof of your claim?
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)what we either consume or refine and ship out as of 2017. Down from 60% in 2005 I suppose that could be said to be 'good', most of the 'improvement' was during the 8 years of Obama.
However as I say alot of the 'gasoline' (petroleum distillates) that we 'export' actually starts as low-quality oil from Canada and Venezuela that we bought at a cheap rate cause they don't have the refining capability for this crap, then we ship it off as finished product and refiners pocket profit$.
Here's some detail on 'how things work and why', and there's a good comment after the initial article.
https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-US-both-import-and-export-oil-Isnt-capitalism-supposed-to-find-the-cheapest-solution-It-seems-pretty-inefficient-to-import-220-billion-worth-of-oil-and-export-180-billion-worth-of-oil ...
Have to admit I find it pretty ludicrous that Congress in 2015 lifted the ban on export of crude, after so many years of harping about 'energy independence' lol ... if we want independence, leave that shit in the ground so we have it later, don't overproduce to the point where the only thing it makes sense to do with it ... is sell it to the rest of the world. Doesn't seem to jibe. But the whole matter is quite complex, as the article above shows.
No Vested Interest
(5,167 posts)might have benefitted from the new tax bill are giving it back- and maybe more- to oil companies.
Republicans are planning to run ads praising the tax bill, but I doubt that many Americans voters will have a net benefit when all is said and done.
raven mad
(4,940 posts)I question it because there's this refinery 15 miles from me and a huge pipe about 1 1/2 miles..................
Sigh........... Big Oil: "let 'em freeze in the dark".
http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/why-fairbanks-gas-prices-don-t-adjust-along-with-lower/article_cb07346c-a213-11e4-91e2-1b8c1e89822a.html
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)try and get around the cost of sanctions by raising the cost of oil. That's all this is.