Posted on 12/16/2014 4:56:58 AM PST by thackney
Cratering crude-oil prices may be a blessing to cash-strapped American consumers, but it’s a double-edged sword when it comes to the overall economy.
The problem for the overall economy is not so much the drop in oil prices as it is the velocity at which oil prices have fallen.
The plunge from a peak of just over $100 per barrel in the early summer to today’s $58 — a massive 42 percent drop in just a few short months, most of which has come in the last 90 days — could make anyone’s head spin.
The rapid fall in crude prices is a telling sign to some Wall Street analysts and economists that there may be a global recession taking hold and the slowing growth is pushing oil lower.
Remember, at the height of the financial crisis, crude got down into the high $30s a barrel at the end of 2008 as the US and Europe went into a recession.
But some on Wall Street see pricing forces that go beyond the supply-and-demand model to take in geo-political intrigue.
There will be plenty of Commodity Pool Operators (CPOs) and some hedge-fund managers holding high-yield energy bonds that are taking it on the chin.
And, yes, several of the big banks came out this week saying that while business in general was good, trading revenue will be down from last quarter.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Things are becoming cheaper and rich investors are taking it on the chin.
Most people won’t care the bottom has dropped out of their stock portfolios.
These economic morons don’t realize that oil is the thermometer of the global economy. They think the thermometer controls the weather. It is actually good news for energy users.
Pray America is waking
A global recession is a good thing?
may, might, could...liberal "super geniuses" are wetting their panties with uncertainty.
Face it . There is a global recession. If economies were booming, there would be great demand for oil and its byproducts. The price would be stable if not rising. The phony mirage of economic progress due to borrowed and printed money, will come to its inevitable crashing end.
World stock markets tumble as FTSE suffers worst weekly fall since 2011
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/dec/12/world-stock-markets-tumble-and-ftse-suffers-worst-fall-since-2011
Global stock markets continued to tumble on Friday, pushing the FTSE 100 to its worst weekly fall in more than three years. Since Monday, £112bn has been wiped off the value of Britain’s leading companies.
Investors headed for the exits amid growing fears about the Chinese economy, the tumbling price of oil, and the prospect of another eurozone crisis prompted by political uncertainty in Greece....
A host of poor economic news from around the globe added to the gloomy mood. After weak Chinese import numbers earlier in the week, China reported a worse than expected 7.2% rise in industrial production in November, down from 7.7% the previous month, which fuelled fears of a slowdown in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
In the UK, there was an unexpected 2.2% drop in construction output in October, compared with forecasts of a 0.7% increase and a rise of 1.8% in September.
Russia was also in the spotlight, for the wrong reasons. The rouble hit new lows – down 1.7% at almost 58 to the dollar – as the twin effects of western sanctions over Ukraine and the falling oil price raised fears about the outlook for Russia’s economy, with a 1% hike in interest rates to 10.5% and central bank intervention failing to halt the slide.
Is oil the symptom or the cause?
Low energy prices do not start a recession, except in a country dependent upon the money like Iran and Venezuela.
Symptom. ROW is a freaking mess.
Yes. Yes it is.
Sometimes a sale is a sign of distress...
The 50% of Americans who own stocks might care the bottom has dropped out.
Ya’ think?
Prices are lowered in an attempt to sell more.
Autocratic regimes will bear the brunt of falling oil prices.
Personally, I could care less that our adversaries are on the verge of being bankrupt.
I hope the price of oil drops a lot further.
If your job was selling or building pumps, pipes or any of the other many items or services purchased by the US oil industry, you would probably care a bit more.
OPEC’s war against fracking has hurt us to some extent but its backfired on every oil exporting country on the planet.
Oil IS cheaper no thanks to them.
I saw a guy talking on the TV yesterday and he said a lot of the strongest housing markets are in these oil boom areas. That won’t last at these low prices. It’s like it’s all connected.
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