Speaking of Oil

Going With The Flow

Tom Kloza — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:31:00 GMT

I’ve often compared the oil futures markets to a multi-trillion dollar game of Chutes & Ladders, the Milton Bradley board game where the luck of the dice would enable someone to climb past, or slip well beneath fellow competitors. (For my British...(read more)

Oil Price Hiatus

Tom Kloza — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:26:00 GMT

If an alien economist touched down on planet earth say on July 5 th , he, she, or it might have reasonably concluded by July 25 th that the world was in a bull market for stocks and a bear market for commodities. Today’s action gives pause to that...(read more)

200 Days of Shatner & Chipper Jones

Tom Kloza — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:49:00 GMT

Oil price moves this week were violent, but the violence was manifest mostly to the downside. Some people were even convinced that it might be time to write the epitaph for the 2008 price spike. The change is welcome but the fat lady of oil price expansion...(read more)

Cypherin' & Gezinta's

Tom Kloza — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:12:00 GMT

Almost all of the financial discourse this week has included mention of Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae . This column aims for a much higher standard, but the constant references to Mac and Mae rendered inspiration for this week’s perspective. After hearing...(read more)

Deliverance

Tom Kloza — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:05:00 GMT

June will mercifully end on Monday, and my back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that Americans will have spent a record $48-billion on gasoline during the month. Unfortunately, the hypothetical July invoice will probably be above $50-billion . I’ll...(read more)

How The Pinch May Steal Summer

Tom Kloza — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:51:00 GMT

Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve published the always dynamic “Beige Book” and offered the salient observation that consumer spending had slowed as incomes were “pinched” by rising energy and food prices. This is probably...(read more)

Swoon or Schvitz?

Tom Kloza — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:07:00 GMT

Yet another record high was established today for retail gasoline prices, but some cracks in the armor of great energy bull market were uncovered this week. But more importantly, the free world is beginning a worthy polemic. Thought leaders (I just love...(read more)

Gaszilla 2008

Tom Kloza — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:59:00 GMT

Within the next few days, America will cross a benchmark that I thought to be possible , but not necessarily probable this Spring. Well before Memorial Day weekend, U.S. motorists will spend more than $1.5-billion per day on gasoline. Today’s back-of-the-envelope...(read more)

Eight Days In May

Tom Kloza — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:13:00 GMT

You will see much higher retail prices for gasoline, diesel, and heating oil by the end of next week thanks to a foundation laid in wholesale markets in the last eight days. Since the close of business on May 1, crude oil prices have surged some $13.44...(read more)

Superspike & SuperBad, or Why I Am Not A Motivational Speaker

Tom Kloza — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:58:00 GMT

This is hastily written so forgive me if I don’t litter this post with classical references, witty attribution to pop culture, and the normal sense of humor that I generally sprinkle through these screeds. Crude oil prices closed at $123.57 bbl...(read more)

Magnum Force

Tom Kloza — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:22:00 GMT

U.S. gasoline prices surpassed $3.57 gal last evening, and they will almost certainly advance above $3.60 gal this weekend. All of the tea leaves pointed to this April surge. May is a much more difficult month to forecast, and it could see a turn. If...(read more)

Straight Talk & The Caca Chronicles

Tom Kloza — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:56:00 GMT

With inspiration from John McCain, who this week proposed a driving season fuel tax holiday, I’m presenting this post in the form of a Q&A. And much like John McCain does when he makes his various media appearances, I’m interviewing myself....(read more)

One Versus 100

Tom Kloza — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:03:00 GMT

No, that is not a cheap plug for the NBC game show hosted by Bob Saget, where the producers pick a person who could never make it on to Jeopardy and that person tries to answer questions better than an angry mob. I prefer The Biggest Loser, if only because...(read more)

Gasoline And Consumer Confidence

Tom Kloza — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:19:00 GMT

You’ll have to read this entire post to get the reference in the headline. But this has certainly been a remarkable week. Crude oil spent time above $108 barrel but it also had a cup of coffee below $100 barrel. Eight percent moves aren’t...(read more)

New Fundamentals & Questionable "Realities"

Tom Kloza — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:13:00 GMT

Old news: Retail gasoline prices reached a record $3.28 gal this weekend, breaking last year’s Memorial Day record before we even concluded St. Patrick’s Day. Retail diesel blistered to a new all time national high of $4.002 gal this morning,...(read more)