Just what we need. Morgan Stanley wants to do their part to drive up oil prices again. Didn’t they get some bailout money? We would have been better off, if they had just gone under.
They want to own oil when it invariably goes up in price. There is nothing sinister about this, and assuming their predictions are correct it is good for the economy, since it smooths out the price by raising it slightly now and lowering it in the future when this supply is sold.
If they're using their own money, why complain? The only way they'll make money is if they sell the oil when prices are higher than when they bought. By doing so, they will have acted to reduce the gap between the high and low prices. That's a good thing.
If they end up buying high and selling low, they'll make the price gap worse than it would otherwise have been, but if they're using their own money to do that they'll lose more themselves than they'll cost everyone else.
Of course, if they figure out a way to leave the taxpayer on the hook when they buy high and sell low, then they'll nail everyone coming and going.
They have not taken any direct government money, and any indirect money they may have gotten has been small. They have the best balance sheet among the major banks.