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What is up with gas prices?

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Jzero

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
18,834
1
0
Panic-driven market. The DoE announces that they expect prices to go up, and then everyone up-and-down the supply chain says "Well, everyone is expecting higher prices now, so let's raise the prices." DoE should keep its trap shut.
 

lokiju

Lifer
May 29, 2003
18,526
5
0
Shyte, I just put some gas in my vehicle for the first time in over two weeks and it was $2.91 for 87 octane now!

Cost me $29.10 for freaking 10 gallons!

 
Aug 10, 2001
10,420
2
0
Everybody is looking for a scapegoat to blame for rising gas prices, igorning the fact that it might actually have something to do with supply and demand and the fact that we are importing oil from the most unstable parts of the world.
 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,928
143
106
Originally posted by: alent1234
i read this in investor's business daily a few weeks ago, the biggest reason for high gas prices now isn't oil but ethanol. Last year's energy bill basically outlawed MTBE and required ethanol. there is a shortage of ethanol now and will be for years to come. even if oil drops, gas will probably stay high due to ethanol pricing and then you have GM's biggest energy hogs using ethanol so that doesn't help either.
I thought ethanol was only used in summer fuel, so you would think we could expect relief in the coming fall/winter.
 

alent1234

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,915
0
0
not anymore

reason prices go up in the summer is everyone goes out on weekend trips in addition to driving to work. more demand means higher prices
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,153
1,797
126
Crude oil settled at US$70.40 today. That's a record high.

Oil prices settled at a record high above $70 a barrel on Monday, rising more than $1 on concerns about supply disruptions in Nigeria and diplomatic tensions between the West and Iran over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

So long as these geopolitical issues are hovering over the market, analysts said it will be difficult for prices to fall too far - unless there is a significant drop-off in demand, which they aren't yet seeing.

Light sweet crude for May delivery settled at $70.40 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, an increase of $1.08 from Thursday's close and 59 cents above the previous closing record set last August. The exchange was closed Friday.

Crude futures first surpassed $70 a barrel in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. On Aug. 30, oil prices climbed as high as $70.85 a barrel during the day, and then settled at $69.81.
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
126
Originally posted by: Engineer

But when oil is at $70 per barrel, it certainly does effect the price of gasoline. Doesn't matter if you use it all, but the price does effect it. Speculation has driven the price of oil up over the last few years. Uncertainity created by a fvcked up middle east policy, 911 fears, etc. have driven speculation through the roof on oil. Oil prices certainly effect gasoline prices so they are indeed revelant in this discussion.

and yet that doesn't change the fact that oil reserves being at an 8 year high would have little effect on the price of gasoline if there is no excess refining capacity.

a crude illustration of the supply curve of gasoline

now, a cost increase or decrease of the input could shift the angled part up or down, but the vertical part isn't going to change in the short run. for the vertical part to shift outward new refining capacity has to come online. what is happening is that gasoline is being imported from foreign refiners in mexico and venezuela and elsewhere (which is why there aren't any gas lines). those are expensive to transport, but that last marginal unit sets the whole market price.
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
Originally posted by: ElFenix
Originally posted by: Engineer

But when oil is at $70 per barrel, it certainly does effect the price of gasoline. Doesn't matter if you use it all, but the price does effect it. Speculation has driven the price of oil up over the last few years. Uncertainity created by a fvcked up middle east policy, 911 fears, etc. have driven speculation through the roof on oil. Oil prices certainly effect gasoline prices so they are indeed revelant in this discussion.

and yet that doesn't change the fact that oil reserves being at an 8 year high would have little effect on the price of gasoline if there is no excess refining capacity.

And why should oil be at $70 pe barrel if inventories are at an 8 year high and WE can't refine as much of it as we used to?
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
126
Originally posted by: Engineer

And why should oil be at $70 pe barrel if inventories are at an 8 year high and WE can't refine as much of it as we used to?
you've already pointed out the uncertainty in the market and a whole world of other reasons for it. remember, oil prices move a lot based on very little things happening at the margin. a 2% oversupply made the whole market drop to $10 a barrel. ever watch the price of an underlying bond change with quarter point yield rate changes?
 

ahurtt

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2001
4,283
0
0
Originally posted by: Eli
Seriously. What is causing the spike? I'd like to know.

It's gone up ~50 cents here in the last month.

We are about to go to war with Iran. Any time gas and oil prices start doing funny stuff, you can pretty much bet we're about to go to war. They give the big oil companies a heads up before the general public so they can pad their pocketbooks with cash incase there is a disruption in oil flow.
 

Queasy

Moderator<br>Console Gaming
Aug 24, 2001
31,796
2
0
Originally posted by: Engineer
Originally posted by: ElFenix
Originally posted by: Engineer

But when oil is at $70 per barrel, it certainly does effect the price of gasoline. Doesn't matter if you use it all, but the price does effect it. Speculation has driven the price of oil up over the last few years. Uncertainity created by a fvcked up middle east policy, 911 fears, etc. have driven speculation through the roof on oil. Oil prices certainly effect gasoline prices so they are indeed revelant in this discussion.

and yet that doesn't change the fact that oil reserves being at an 8 year high would have little effect on the price of gasoline if there is no excess refining capacity.

And why should oil be at $70 pe barrel if inventories are at an 8 year high and WE can't refine as much of it as we used to?

Because the futures market determines the price of a barrel of oil and they are worried right now because of Iran.
 

JS80

Lifer
Oct 24, 2005
26,271
7
81
you guys are so ignorant.

First of all Iran just announced that they enriched uranium. They are now in the "nuclear club." Along with their producing a chunk of the world's oil supply and their rhetoric of wiping israel off the map and chanting "Death to America," oil futures traders are pushing prices up.

And the cherry on the topping, Nigeria is having problems too.
 

JS80

Lifer
Oct 24, 2005
26,271
7
81
Instead of bitching over the past few years if you had put the money into oil stocks, the money you made from that would have far offset your increase in gas prices.

A new etf that tracks oil futures is now trading as ticker USO. I suggest picking some up before Iran does something stupid.
 

DAGTA

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,172
1
0
Originally posted by: Eli
Seriously. What is causing the spike? I'd like to know.

It's gone up ~50 cents here in the last month.


The cause of the spike is that the oil barons aren't happy being billionaires; they want to be trillionaires.
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
Originally posted by: JS80
you guys are so ignorant.

First of all Iran just announced that they enriched uranium. They are now in the "nuclear club." Along with their producing a chunk of the world's oil supply and their rhetoric of wiping israel off the map and chanting "Death to America," oil futures traders are pushing prices up.

And the cherry on the topping, Nigeria is having problems too.

And you're such an ass. It's been mentioned several times that "speculation" is what's driving crude oil prices. That accounts for everything you posted above! :roll:
 

alent1234

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,915
0
0
Originally posted by: Engineer
Originally posted by: ElFenix
Originally posted by: Engineer

But when oil is at $70 per barrel, it certainly does effect the price of gasoline. Doesn't matter if you use it all, but the price does effect it. Speculation has driven the price of oil up over the last few years. Uncertainity created by a fvcked up middle east policy, 911 fears, etc. have driven speculation through the roof on oil. Oil prices certainly effect gasoline prices so they are indeed revelant in this discussion.

and yet that doesn't change the fact that oil reserves being at an 8 year high would have little effect on the price of gasoline if there is no excess refining capacity.

And why should oil be at $70 pe barrel if inventories are at an 8 year high and WE can't refine as much of it as we used to?



because there is trouble in nigeria that can interrupt supply and make inventories dive. price of oil, stocks and any other security is determined by what people will think will happen 6-12 months from now.
 

Eeezee

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2005
9,922
0
76
It's fallen a little here... to $2.90ish ($2.79-$2.89 for unleaded usually)