What is this, the PruBear Bear Herald? Whoops, no, its Thursday's WSJ!!
interactive.wsj.com
September 28,
Business Bulletin
BUY NOW OR WAIT? Volatile heating-oil prices cause homeowners to speculate.
Some consumers hold off purchases, hoping prices will fall, while others seek price caps on future deliveries. And still others fill their tanks, although there is no sign of hoarding, dealers say. Everyone is "antsy," says Jim Newman of Noco Energy Corp., Tonawanda, N.Y., which offers a discount for cash purchases, as well as a price-cap plan. Hughes Oil Co. in Boston says it gets more requests from customers for a fixed price, but points out a fixed contract can mean risk for the buyer.
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In Chicago, Bell Fuel Inc. says its volume has slowed. People this year are buying hand-to-mouth, says Robert Troch, owner of Bell. Some homeowners may put on big sweaters and hope for lower prices, but not everyone can wait. Blue Flame Oil Co. in Portland, Ore., says many of the truckers it sells to "are crying the blues." And Ballard Oil Co., Seattle, says fishermen fueling their boats for crab season in Alaska are paying three times as much as a year ago for diesel fuel.
Warren Aakervik, owner of Ballard, says higher prices paid by fishermen will show up in higher crab prices later.
Got crabs?<g> |
