INTERNATIONAL OIL PRICES: ARE INDIANS OVERPROTECTED?
Submitted by
“The Gladiators”
INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND NOTE:
The Kingdom of Heaven runs on righteousness whereas the Kingdoms of Earth runs on oil and the Arabs have oil. The world is increasingly dependent on foreign oil which poses a problem for the economy going far beyond those associated with oil deficits, prices and volatility.
The year 2007, would go down in the books of history as the year in which International Oil Prices surpassed the $90 per barrel mark for the first time. The price as on 21st November 2007 was as high as $ 99.29 per barrel! (Appendix 1) There have been price increases earlier as well, but a sustained increase of such a huge magnitude is something unheard of, and calls for worldwide attention. More so because, the last time there was a comparable increase, the world economy went into a recession. But first of all, it would be helpful to know why there has been an abrupt increase in International crude Oil prices. While the gap between the supply and demand due to rapid growth is the main culprit here, there are many more factors affecting this steep rise, like, depreciation of the dollar, decline in the U.S interest rates, speculations in the futures market, OPEC strategy and Political circumstances. Also, the fact that companies have started operating with low stocks, means there are fewer cushions to support, in times of less supply, and this adds to the increase in prices.
Althou ...