Kuwaiti Analysis of Global Oil and Gasoline Prices

This is a very interesting article. I am catching up on a lot of news, having been gone all day, so I will link the article now, and comment on it later, if I remember.

But it is a very interesting article.

Two data points from the article:

• ... [P]rotests and unrest in Libya, as well as in Bahrain, have led to high oil prices, but that the crisis in Japan has created some price balance due to its reduced consumption of oil
• However, the prices of oil and gas products, especially auto fuel, will skyrocket due to the stoppage of several world oil refineries for maintenance ...

The first point is counter-intuitive.

The second point is scary. I'm sure the US Attorney General will look very closely into the timing of refinery maintenance. Of course, the EPA and OSHA require on-going maintenance, certainly in light of last year's Gulf spill. The American Bar Association is probably watching all aspects very, very closely.