LA Biz Observed
 
Bio • Email • Archive
Follow Mark on Twitter • 
Hear Mark Lacter on KPCC
 

Crude prices flirted with $90-a-barrel today and you have to believe that the century mark is not far off. That's another all-time record - even accounting for inflation. Part of the explanation for the run-up involves the world's unsettled state - Turkey's prime minister has been given the authorization to use military force against the Kurds in northern Iraq (sound familiar?), and there's today's massive bomb blast in Karachi, just hours after the arrival of Benazir Bhutto. But beyond global jitters are a bunch of technical factors, especially the ever-weakening dollar. If the dollar is weak, oil becomes cheaper to purchase when using other currencies. One other explanation: lots of speculation that the Fed will cut interest rates in a couple of weeks. That would cut borrowing costs and presumably lead to a perkier economy - and that would boost demand. “The issue seems no longer to be whether oil will reach $100, but when,” said Barclays Capital analysts Paul Horsnell and Kevin Norrish. Might be a good time to fill your tank. (Bloomberg, Energy Roundup)

> | More
© 2003-2010   •  About LA Observed  •  Email the editor
Follow LAO
Kevin Roderick blog
1:15 AM Mon | Johnny Mountain retires as part of the KCBS/KCAL turnover, Trutanich won't cut pay, Speaker Perez's low district profile, a dirty trick aimed at Gavin Newsom, a Times arts hire and a birth in the media family.
12:23 AM Mon | Gagne released by Dodgers
Mark Lacter, LA Biz Observed
2:26 PM Fri | You might recall his being sent off for secretly paying clients to pursue shareholder lawsuits.
Sponsors
Jewish Journal logo
California Wellness Foundation
For information on becoming a sponsor, email the editor.
Sign up for email

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


Blogads Los Angeles network

Get RSS Feeds
of LA Observed
LA Observed publishes several Real Simple Syndication feeds for easy scanning of headlines. If you wish to subscribe to a feed, most popular RSS readers will do it for you. You can also enter the web address from the XML button below or click on a specific feed. For more help with RSS, try here or here.




Add to Google