Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Strictly: Drilling and oil-field services -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frank Pembleton who wrote (92391)	7/17/2001 9:44:53 AM
From: Frank Pembleton	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 95453

China and the rest of developing Asia are driving the world oil market. Gas-guzzling Americans consume 19 million barrels of oil a day, four times what the Chinese do. Per capita the U.S. burns 20 times as much oil as China. Yet a strong case can be made that China already has more influence on the world's oil price fluctuations than the U.S. does. That influence is destined to grow. It offers clues to future oil price trends--and geopolitics. forbes.com

To: Frank Pembleton who wrote (92391)	7/17/2001 10:19:24 AM
From: isopatch	Respond to of 95453

Now there's an under examined concept. and a very valid one, Frank. "the politics of fear" and the rise of big government socialism. I'd add "the politics of envy" to that as socialism preaches a Jacobean intolerance of wealth. IMHO, expressed during last years election marathon<g>, continues to be that as long as most Americans still get most of their TV news from the liberal New York networks the socialists will chip away at our freedoms. FOX news has cut into that monopoly but we still have a long way to go before moderate conservative issues and the representatives that champion them are given fair and balanced coverage on the boob tube. Regards, Isopatch

To: Frank Pembleton who wrote (92391)	7/17/2001 10:19:43 AM
From: Art Bechhoefer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 95453

Frank, The Economist is not always right. In fact, in some areas like telecommunications, they are woefully biased and self serving (pro-European, anti-American). Oil supply and demand (by which I mean the demand for crude oil and natural gas) is dependent on more than the economically extractable resources in the ground. Getting the stuff to the destination that requires it, and being able to service the customers that want it now, not two weeks or two months from now, involves details not addressed by "The Economist" in the articles you referenced. To explain the shortages that occurred in California, both in terms of electrical generating capacity and the availability of reformulated gasoline, requires at least some knowledge of operations research models. Queueing theory, for example, explains most of the price fluctuations that occurred in California and surrounding states over the past couple of years. Why? Because one of the conclusions that can be drawn from those models is that sudden changes in peak demand and peak period pricing causes longer term changes in average prices (but not necessarily any changes in average demand). The oil companies are not stupid. They know all about this, but they would prefer the rest of us would shut up. Art