Oil and Fuel Prices Essay
Since 1980s. the monetary value of fuel and oil has assumed an upward tendency. The monetary value of rough oil per barrel was being sold at 40 dollars. In 2007 it was 92 dollars and in February 2008 the monetary value per barrel hit 103 dollars. The rise in oil and fuel monetary values has led to the rise in the life criterions as most trade goods are either straight or indirectly affected by it. Many points that are used in our places are the merchandises of crude oil and those that are non are affected in that the conveyance cost go high when the monetary value of oil and fuel go up.
Though the monetary value of oil has ever been on the addition. the recent glide of these monetary values had risen to the degrees of concern in America every bit good as to the remainder of the universe. In June 2008. the monetary value per barrel in USA cost 142 $ a figure that has ne’er been witnessed before in the history of oil monetary values. Why is it that the monetary value for oil and fuel is ever increasing. what are the factors that have led to the rise of these monetary values? This is what this paper will chiefly concentrate on. There are assorted factors that are attributed to the rise of oil and fuel monetary values and one of them is the of all time turning economic systems for Asiatic states like China and India.
As the economic systems of these states grow. they demand more energy than before therefore doing the demand for oil to travel up. Oil demand in China is turning by eight per centum yearly since 2002 and this is a dual to the rate prior to this period. As states become developed. more industries are built that demand a batch of energy to run them besides many people are able to purchase vehicles that consume a batch of oil thereby taking to the rise in the monetary value of oil and fuel. ( Williams. J. L. 2007 ) The other cause of the rise of oil and fuel monetary values is rate at which oil is supplied by those states that are responsible.
If the demand for oil is higher than the rate at which the oil is being supplied. what consequences is the rise of oil monetary values. This is what is known as the market forces that control the monetary value of the merchandise or merely the jurisprudence of the market. Of late. the sum of the oil that is being produced by OPEC has been on the diminution and the causes for this job are many and complex. Some states have intentionally decided to cut the sum of oil they produce so as to salvage their oil Wellss from being depleted.
Those states that are threatened by oil depletion. the cost of production goes up because when the degree at which the oil is found deepens it becomes difficult to pull out it. This has a Domino consequence as the load of run intoing this cost is placed on the consumers so ; if the production cost is high so the monetary value of oil and fuel goes up. ( World Bank. 2000 ) In every bit far as that some oil bring forthing states might be sing oil deficit. the theory might non be hundred percent true as it is non the sole cause for the rise in oil monetary values.
There are other factors that have contributed to the rise in these monetary values. Political turbulency in the Middle East has besides contributed to the oil deficit in the universe. When US attacked Iraq in a command to end the government of Sadam Hussein. the rate of oil production was affected because the province was subjected to a province of lawlessness. This affected the world’s oil monetary values instantly. The same was witnessed in West Africa and to be peculiar in Nigeria where the Rebels targeted the oil companies and the grapevines.
Besides in Venezuela work stoppages. civil agitation and political turbulency hampered the normal production of oil in 2007. All these factors leads to the low supply of oil globally something that causes the rise of oil and fuel monetary values. This adds weight to the fact that it is the forces of the market that determines the monetary value of the trade good. The monetary value of oil in the United States of America varies from topographic point to topographic point for illustration in the West Coast. the monetary value of oil is higher than that of the Gulf Coast parts which enjoys much lower monetary values.
It is believe that the difference depends on whether the substructure of that part or state are good and more peculiarly the grapevine web that makes it possible for oil to be transported easy and fast. The other ground that is put frontward is the use of monetary values by the providers for illustration. California has a large population and this means that the rate of energy ingestion is really high. The job that faces California is that there is no competition among the oil companies every bit far as oil supply is concerned so. what these companies do is that they manipulate the oil monetary values to accommodate them.
They cause an induced oil deficit taking to increased monetary values. ( World Bank. 2000 ) Though grounds such as addition in oil demand. environmental issues. conditions alterations. depletion of oil militias and hapless monetary value control mechanism particularly by OPEC has been blamed for the rise in monetary values. Political convulsion in the Middle East. in West Africa and in Venezuela and the decrease in oil supply could take to the hike of monetary values. there are still other grounds that could take to the same for illustration. in 1972. the monetary value per barrel was three dollars but by 1974. the monetary value had already doubled.
The ground for this was non needfully the political perturbation in the Middle East because the United States decided to back up Israel but the ground was that the Arab states whose bulk are the chief oil manufacturers. got angry by the US move and decided to cut the sum of oil they produce in the normal fortunes. In response. the Arab states placed an trade stoppage against the United States and its Alliess infact they decided to cut the sum of oil they produce by five barrels per twenty-four hours. This move has inauspicious effects on the oil economic system as it led to the oil deficit in the universe and in bend the rise of oil monetary values. Associated imperativeness. 27th 2008 ) Whenever oil and fuel monetary values travel up. the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC ) is held responsible by politicians and the media. Harmonizing to Clough. ( 2006 ) . OPEC is non in anyhow responsible for this as its function is to stabilise the monetary value of oil by doing certain there is handiness of oil in the market by modulating the demand and supply. The other job if it non miss of competition among the oil providing companies. is the meeting of companies.
In USA companies fall ining together for better service proviso are allowed but the job is that these companies become a formidable force that exploits the consumers for in US. there are five amalgamations which are among the biggest in the universe and they control 62 per centum of oil in the market. These are companies such as Conoco Phillips. Exxon Mobil. Royal Dutch-Shell. BP Arco and Chevron Texaco. Because of the portion of oil they control in the market. they alter monetary values the manner they want or in other words. they form a trust that no other individual can dispute. This dramatic addition in the control of the top five companies…makes it easier for the oil companies to pull strings gasolene supplies and to deliberately keep back supplies in order to drive up monetary values. ” ( Clough. RG. 2006. 32 ) To reason. the tensenesss that were experienced in Turkey in 2007 and the devastation of grapevines by the collectivists could besides be conducive factors to the rise in fuel and oil monetary values but the current rise in oil and fuel monetary values is non needfully as a consequence of political instability but it is besides believed that the growing in Gross Domestic Products ( GDP ) of many states leads to high oil demands.
This is because. as the economic system of a state improves. people are able to purchase autos and hence the demand for oil due to increased conveyance. The monetary values of fuel and oil are projected to lift to greater highs if the demand for oil by the developing states continues in the same tendency. Political instability in the Middle East is besides taking to this job and if peace would predominate. so the monetary values would enormously come down.
