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Useful information and discussion about energy, including oil and gas, peak oil, hydrogen, alternative energy, ethanol and other biofuels, climate change, and geopolitics, from an experienced industry professional. A service of GSW Strategy Group, LLC, providing foresight and insight in an uncertain world. Content Copyright 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 by Geoffrey S.W. Styles. All rights reserved. The views expressed here are solely those of the author.

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Setting Oil Prices

Posted on July 23, 2008

As the Congress moves ahead with legislation aimed at reducing the contribution of speculation to high oil prices, it's worth taking a moment to reflect on how oil was priced before the influence of the futures markets became so pervasive, or before they even existed. A quick review reveals that any nostalgia for this earlier, simpler era is largely misplaced. Today's oil markets, for all their faults, are models of transparency and efficiency by comparison. Let's hope that our government can discover the right formula for curbing their excesses, without destroying the liquidity and highly-vis...

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Tags:
commodity , crude , futures , new york mercantile exchange , oil , pipeline
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