The price of oil slumped below 72 dollars on Wednesday, its lowest level for more than 13 months, as recession fears raised concerns about a prolonged drop in energy demand, analysts said.
The global financial crisis will give a vicious twist to an economic slowdown and is hitting world demand for oil, although the effect on emerging economies is unclear, OPEC said on Wednesday.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries slashed its estimate of growth in demand this year and shaved its estimate for 2009, largely because of an "excessive" easing of demand in the United States, the single biggest energy market.
Prices also fell Wednesday on news that a Nigerian court has ordered Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell to hand over land to locals, a key demand of armed rebels camped in Nigeria's oil-producing region.
Brent North Sea crude for November delivery fell to 71.60 dollars a barrel -- the lowest level since August 2007 -- before recovering to 72.41 dollars, down 2.12 dollars compared to Tuesday's close.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for November, shed 1.98 dollars to 76.65 dollars.
Brent crude has fallen by more than half from a record high 147.50 dollars in July, when prices rocketed on fears of supply disruptions.
Oil prices are sliding on "concerns that the coordinated action by central banks over the last week will not be enough to rescue economies from falling into a global recession and hence weighing on oil demand," Sucden analyst Nimit Khamar said.
A top US central banker, Janet Yellen, said Tuesday that the United States "appears to be in a recession." There are also growing fears Japan and Europe are heading for a spell of economic stagnation or recession.
The German economy is heading for a slowdown but the downturn will not be a long-lasting one, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday. ~ Breitbart 10//15/08
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Gas prices will " probably never be below $3 again". Already untrue ($2.90 is south GA already) & less than a month ago heard that quite a bit. Media flaks hysterically oil/gas prices rising - each time - by literally throwing verbage laced with gasoline on their hype. Then when prices fall (inevitable - petrochemicals are cyclical in nature) they report it with no big fanfare. Also they continue to remind everyone how awful it was when these prices were so high & other yadda yadda BS. Media needs certain "bogeymen". NPR (and others)would have 1/3 of it's day unfilled without their "oil bogeymen" stories when the prices are rising. But when they fall, NPR (and others) yawns & clucks disapprovingly.
If you listen to media & blindly believe it, you are exactly the sucker they are looking for. Commodities go up & they go down. Oil is a commodity. It just happens to be one of several some ideologues enjoy demagoguing.
The effect of oil prices on inflation - will be interesting to see the spikes vs the valleys & compare.