by Peleg » Sat 21 Jun 2008, 22:57:54
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DantesPeak', 'F')irst of all, I think these two articles have got it mostly wrong, especially concerning their analysis of oil. But in the sprit of free speech, I posted them to show just how misleading public media and especially the business media are about our energy situation.
This kind of misinformation is going to make the debate of how to adjust to the post peak oil world very difficult. Transitioning away from liquid fuels is hard enough; intentionally misleading the public is going to make it almost impossible to reach a consensus as to what to do.
As to the superbubble, depending on what happens in the next financial crisis and/or mideast war, we may see $300 oil or $100 oil within a year - that is if oil is still trading on financial markets.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')oros predictis a "superbubble"
Greg Ip
21 Jun 2008 14:42
He has cried wolf many times, but this time George Soros says the beast is really upon us.
Mr. Soros, the chairman of Soros Fund Management, is best-known as a speculator, philanthropist and political activist. He made a fortune by doing things such as betting against Britain's currency in 1992 and Thailand's in 1997.
In essence, he argues that markets don't simply reflect fundamental determinants but can change those determinants in a way that causes asset prices to go to extremes. In his latest book, "The New Paradigm for Financial Markets," he argues a "superbubble" has developed in the past 25 years and it is now collapsing.
WSJ?Moneyweb $this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ome > News & Commentary > This Week's Magazine > Barron's Cover
MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2008
BARRON'S COVER
Bye, Bubble?
The Price of Oil May Be Peaking
By ANDREW BARY
The price of oil may be peaking in the current range of $130 to $140 a barrel. Here's where you want to be when the bubble bursts.
IT'S PERILOUS TO CALL THE TOP IN A BOOMING MARKET, but the price of oil may be peaking in the current range of $130 to $140 a barrel.
Oil's sharp move up -- prices have doubled in the past year -- caught the world by surprise, including almost everyone involved in the petroleum market, from major exporting nations to big energy companies to the global analyst community. The rally has emboldened oil bulls, who argue the world is bumping up against oil-supply constraints, and that demand will rise inexorably, despite sharply higher prices, as the four billion to five billion people in emerging economies like China and India get a taste of the energy-intensive good life, replete with the cars, air conditioners, refrigerators and computers that Americans and Western Europeans have long enjoyed. Statistics support their view that demand growth is in its infancy in the developing world: U.S. per-capita oil consumption is 25 barrels annually, while Japan uses 14 barrels per person. China's 1.3 billion people consume just two barrels each per year, however, and India's 1.1 billion use less than a barrel a year.
In the next decade, oil indeed may hit $200 a barrel. But prices could fall to $100 a barrel by the end of this year if Saudi Arabia makes good on its pledge to increase production; global demand eases; the Federal Reserve begins lifting short-term interest rates; the dollar rallies, and investors stop pouring money into the oil market. China raised prices on retail gasoline and diesel fuel by 18% Thursday, in a move that is expected to curb demand.