Above the fold

A DAILY round-up of economic news: The bailout saga continues to turn ... for oil yesterday. Traders buying October oil futures to cover earlier sales of the contract briefly ... by resurgent commodities prices and a tangled global financial situation. [more...]

Date: 2008-09-23 14:18:14

Blog posts (42) | Videos (41)
 

Shocker: Federal Regulators Conclude That Oil Speculators Not Responsible For High Gas Prices

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has released financial data indicating that commodities traders engaged in oil speculation have had little ... driving the future price of oil down. Commodity index funds also have a much smaller share ... of transactions worth billions of dollars between January and June of this year. Commodity futures [more...]

Date: 2008-09-15 14:50:11

James Bianco on Possible Role of SemGroup Bankruptcy in Oil Price Drop

James Bianco, a respected fixed income analyst at Arbor Research, ... , down $5 on the day. Traders sold oil futures as news emerged that tropical storm Dolly was set to miss ... billion loss on July 16 after it transferred its New York Mercantile Exchange oil futures trading [more...]

Date: 2008-07-23 19:39:00

Obama goes after McCain, oil speculation

by John McCormick Sen. Barack Obama's campaign went on the offensive again today on energy related matters, charging that a co-chairman for Sen ... said the provision in law exempts some energy traders from regulation and thus prevents the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from fully overseeing the oil futures market and investigating cases [more...]

Date: 2008-06-22 18:55:46

China fuel price hike may not sap demand

SHANGHAI, China (AP) — The jump in China’s state-controlled fuel prices will inevitably squeeze consumers at both filling stations and grocery ... the oil market may have overreacted to the news from China, with some traders buying oil futures [more...]

Date: 2008-06-20 16:15:11

Get Ready For $2 Gas as Fuel Prices Continue to Rise

The national average price for a gallon of gasoline posted their seventh consecutive gain on Tuesday, ... to data from the Department of Energy. Futures traders were also worried about potential fallout ... gasoline prices generally lag beind oil futures which traded above $50 a barrel today, up from below $32 [more...]

Date: 2009-01-06 18:18:07

What Can Onions Teach Us About Oil Prices?

Onions have no futures market, yet their recent price volatility makes the swings in oil and corn look tame ... in a commodity not in today's news: onions. The bulbous root is the only commodity for which futures trading is banned. Back in 1958, onion growers convinced themselves that futures traders were [more...]

Date: 2008-06-29 15:52:02

#19-AubreyJ’s Energy Update Report - Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008

AubreyJ’s Energy Update ReportCrude Oil Price falls below $40.00 a barrel -- again...+ LATEST News out on the Shale Plays.. ... posted on their website today and it goes in part link this...Oil futures slipped below 40 dollars ... downwards: traders.* The LATimes.com website reports... The U.S. average retail gasoline price fell [more...]

Date: 2008-12-31 00:03:00

Who let the oil market be manipulated?

For anyone who believes that speculation by energy traders explains at least a portion of the run-up in oil prices, the announcement that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating oil market ... some commodity trading exchanges to operate without oversight while others must report what's going [more...]

Date: 2008-05-30 15:51:47

Sweet crude at $42/barrel

AP: Sweet crude for February delivery tumbled 12 percent, or $5.95, to settle at $42 ... he's seen in a while. ... The crude futures market is now in what oil traders call a "contango" -- in which ... delivery was trading at $49.34, about $5 cheaper than the February contract. "A steep contango [more...]

Date: 2009-01-08 00:34:17

DrumBeat: July 22, 2008

Peak Oil and Hunger Diesel farming feeds the world. But what happens if the fuel becomes too expensive for the farmers? Listen in to WYPR 88 ... , unwanted homes and few options. Huge oil trading loss sinks energy trader SemGroup NEW YORK — A $3.2-billion (U.S.) trading loss on oil futures [more...]

Date: 2008-07-22 13:13:12

OIL NEWS * USA - Oil dips as traders weigh demand signs, Gaza clash

New York,NY,USA -The Associated Press/The Trucker, by PABLO GORONDI-7 Jan 2009: ... , sweet crude for February delivery was down 20 cents to $48.38 a barrel in electronic trading on the New ... cents to $50.70 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange...(Oil prices have risen 43 percent since [more...]

Date: 2009-01-07 15:09:00

Middle East Tension Pushes Crude Near $50; Oil Embargo Not Likely

Crude oil futures traded higher on Monday, even hitting a three-week high above $49 at one point during trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange ... spokesman Hasan Qashqavi said. Analysts and traders alike believe that the world is different today ... by the recent prices, traders are beginning to get a little worried now that the conflict has [more...]

Date: 2009-01-05 22:00:15

Commodities Markets Expected to Stabilize in 2009

Monday, December 29, 2008 Commodities may face lingering economic pressures; ... , particularly for those who had invested in oil, futures contracts were their undoing.At the start of 2009 ... demand and they need present demand," said Matt Zeman, head trader at LaSalle Futures in Chicago. "Until [more...]

Date: 2008-12-30 02:50:00

A Day In The Life of Oil

With crude oil crossing the $142/record mark on Friday, one newspaper took a close-up look at how oil affects traders, fishermen, pre-school kids, ... -old commodities trader, family man, and former top minor league baseball prospect. This strange ... futures trades on that exchange. He's scaled back in recent years and says it's too dangerous to make [more...]

Date: 2008-06-30 20:54:00

Study Shows Speculators Helped LOWER Oil Prices

It was said to be the year of speculators gone wild ... , the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has offered hard statistical data that financial trading hasn't ... -month period. In other words, index traders and swap dealers were driving the future price of oil [more...]

Date: 2008-09-17 15:39:38

Oil Slick: Crude Below $40 a Barrel

Crude Oil Carolyn Cui reports: Crude oil is bloodletting. One day after the OPEC announced the most aggressive production cut, oil dropped 4 ... s session, and traders on the long side in the futures market -– meaning who have the right to take ... barrels. Meanwhile, shipping agencies say that many refiners and oil trading companies are renting [more...]

Date: 2008-12-18 19:43:00

Oil prices continues to lower in Asia

World oil prices continued lower in Asia on Thursday after it sank on Wednesday to the lowest levels since the start of 2007 with traders worried by ... in eight months Oil falls below 90 dollar for 1st time in eight months New York’s main futures ... Khamar, an oil analyst at the Sucden brokerage in London. “The demand situation is deteriorating [more...]

Date: 2008-11-13 09:58:39

Green Ink: Cheap Solar and Green Cemeteries

paper Crude oil futures rose above $48 on continued violence in Gaza, and many traders now say supply-side concerns will keep oil above $40, ... -Ukraine natural-gas dispute enters day five, with both countries trading accusations of bad behavior [more...]

Date: 2009-01-05 13:08:15

Oil Speculators. WP: Regulators had long classified a private Swiss energy conglomerate called Vitol as a trader that primarily helped industrial firms that needed oil to run their businesses. But when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ... of fuel. Even more surprising to the commodities markets was the massive size of Vitol's portfolio [more...]

Date: 2008-08-21 13:45:50

Vultures

Nothing to see here, just move along: Regulators had long classified a private Swiss energy conglomerate called Vitol as a trader that primarily helped industrial firms that needed oil to run their businesses. But when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission examined Vitol’s books last month, it found that the firm was in fact [more...]

Date: 2008-08-21 14:42:10

Demand cuts drag oil below $40

Today, the price of crude fell below $40 a barrel. This appears to be a clear signal of falling oil demand as the world economy slows.[ ... cents to $39.16 a barrel by 3:45 a.m. EST after falling 6 percent on Monday. As traders sought to close out the worst-ever year for oil futures, which are now down almost 60 percent since January [more...]

Date: 2008-12-24 07:42:33

Cebolas

“What onions teach us about oil prices” na CNN The bulbous root is the only commodity for which futures trading is banned. Back in 1958, onion growers convinced themselves that futures traders (and not the new farms ... in onions. The law still stands. And yet even with no traders to blame, the volatility in onion prices [more...]

Date: 2008-07-09 09:35:41

The End of “Cheap Gas” will come Sooner than you Think!

2008 brought about mixed emotions. On one hand we had cheaper gasoline than we’ve seen in many, many years (the good) ... to a buck and change…however, everyone knows someone out of work now and that’s very scary!Oil futures ... break their free fall! Any of you out there that are technical traders will note how stretched [more...]

Date: 2009-01-06 00:05:00

What do onion prices tell us about oil prices?

A reader asked me a while back what I thought of this little article by my former Fortune colleague Jon Birger about onions: The bulbous root is the only commodity for which futures trading is banned. Back in 1958, onion growers convinced themselves that futures traders (and not the new farms sprouting up in Wisconsin [more...]

Date: 2008-07-08 11:45:33

Oil Traders: Don't Fence Us In

Investment bank and hedge fund representatives tell the Commodity Futures Trading Commission the oil market doesn't need more oversight [more...]

Date: 2008-06-17 00:51:19

Economics 101 for Congress

The New Hampshire Union Leader has a great idea.MAYBE THE quickest way to lower oil and gas prices would be this: ... on them the price would fall. But here is what Walter Lukken, chairman of the Commodity Futures ... are not unregulated traders, as Shaheen keeps saying. The real problem is that with demand continuing [more...]

Date: 2008-07-14 13:18:00

OPEC cuts can’t stop the slide

Crude oil is currently at $34.54/bbl, the lowest price in years. The OPEC cuts don’t seem to be affecting the law of supply and demand. Who knew? ... that had futures traders betting on $25/bbl by February. They may have been off by a month ... for the better. With any luck, Hamas, Hezbullah, and Syria will be cut off from their Iranian sugar [more...]

Date: 2008-12-19 15:30:05

The Best of 2008: A year not to be forgotten

It’s the end of 2008 and many traders are saying “Good ridance!” To them I say be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it ... R? Understanding Open Interest in Futures and Options Trading Crude Oil Prices and the Economic Stimulus ... in the markets. Now, of course, the complaint is about too much. Funny how the pendulum swings like that, [more...]

Date: 2008-12-31 13:54:33

Obama’s Plan To Address Energy Trading

This is one way to bring some sanity back to the price of oil, ... some energy traders from regulations that govern other exchange-traded commodities. Democrats call this “ ... years. Speculators also had purchased enough corn futures to fuel the entire U.S. ethanol production [more...]

Date: 2008-06-22 18:56:50

One Method to Flush Out Oil Speculators: "Liquidation Only" Restriction

Daniel Dicker, a former oil trader writing at TheStreet ... has not been manipulative but just a rush to improve gains in commodities... The futures markets, however [more...]

Date: 2008-06-27 18:46:52

Green Ink: Ink Falls, Jatropha Soars

paper Crude oil futures continued falling Wednesday to below $37 a barrel as the drumbeat of grim economic news keeps traders bearish on any near-term recovery of demand for oil, Bloomberg reports [more...]

Date: 2008-12-31 13:01:50

President Bush Threatens Veto of Poison-pill Laden Drilling Bill; Oil Falls to $90/bbl

—Gabriel Malor So far, Republicans have managed not to cave on offshore drilling (though ANWR seems to be out of the question) ... . In related news, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission actually looked through the data ... the six-month period. In other words, index traders and swap dealers were driving the future price [more...]

Date: 2008-09-17 14:55:10

1. RISK JUNKIES

People often wonder what it is that makes someone a trader rather than an investor ... to protect themselves from future increases in the price of raw materials such as oil, copper [more...]

Date: 2009-01-01 03:37:00

Oil Slick: Crude Below $40 a Barrel

Carolyn Cui reports: Crude oil is bloodletting. One day after the OPEC announced the most aggressive production cut, oil dropped 4 ... to put the oil, so the longs are liquidating their positions,” said Jeff Grossman at BRG Brokerage ... s session, and traders on the long side in the futures market -– meaning who have the right to take [more...]

Date: 2008-12-18 16:43:27

Financial Spreads: Oil Slick, Bonds Stick And Pounding Sterling

SPREAD Watch: Anorak’s look at the financial spread markets BUY much last month? The Office For National Statistics ( ... on this year’s highs. Meanwhile, US regulators at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission allege ... s civil complaint, traders said they would “hammer” [more...]

Date: 2008-07-25 09:34:38

Crude Oil Declines as Traders View Year-End Gains as Excessive

By Grant Smith and Christian Schmollinger Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) ... , the first annual decline since 2001 and the biggest drop since futures trading started in 1983 ... , to $41.05 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $42.28 [more...]

Date: 2009-01-02 13:32:18

Oil Traders Seek Another 10 Tankers for Storage, Frontline Says

Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Frontline Ltd., the world’s biggest owner of supertankers, ... it for delivery later, profiting from a futures market situation called contango where prices are higher [more...]

Date: 2009-01-07 16:59:00

OIL PRICE SHOCKS - THE REAL CULPRITS

It is clear as to who is driving up the prices of Crude and Commodities. It is not the producers or the demand supply gap that is making the lives of billions of people horrible. It is the traders, hedge funds and banking giants and large investors in Futures Commodity [more...]

Date: 2008-06-18 01:27:37

Oil Reclaims $120 a Barrel

The rebound in oil, which has carried crude past $121 a barrel, can no longer be dismissed as a “blip” after crude fell within $110 last week ... like much. With varying fundamental issues in play, traders are also looking at the price ... analyst at BNP Paribas Commodity Futures. Mr. McGillian says this rally will have to push through [more...]

Date: 2008-08-21 15:33:19

Crude Reaction: Oil Prices Fall on Dismal U.S. Growth

The oil market took a look at U.S. growth figures and decided they weren’t just ugly—they were a double-bagger. [ Bagger_art_200v_20081030130104 ... .jpg You’ve got company (AP) Crude futures, which had risen for two days on the back ... anytime soon,” said Phil Flynn, senior trader at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago. “After yesterday’ [more...]

Date: 2008-10-30 08:03:00

Despite recent price rise, traders seeking tankers is bearish for oil

Filed under: International markets, Commodities, OilThose investors ready to position themselves in oil stocks, or perhaps even dabble in oil futures, may want to wait a while. Oil traders are seeking ... ." Dietz added that he was currently short unleaded gasoline, with a monthly contract. Continue reading [more...]

Date: 2009-01-07 18:45:00

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