Cftc

Oil Prices in Steep Decline: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid!

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 11.01.2008 | Business

Read More: Energy, Tom Freidman, OPEC President Khelil, Cftc, Saudi Arabia, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, King Abdullah, Treasury Sec.Paulson, Energy Sec.Bodman, President Bush, Gordon Brown, Oil, Business News

Something sinister is afoot in the steep decline of oil prices: Our sense of outrage at the oil industry risks being mollified; just when we become serious about alternative fuels, suddenly, magically, the price of oil retreats.

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As the Bush Years Wind Down the New York Times Signals Hard Times Ahead for Russia, Venezuela, Iran

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 10.22.2008 | Business

Against the interests of the nation this administration has permitted, even encouraged the dramatic transfer of wealth to oil interests in dimensions beyond the fondest dreams of Croesus.

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The Highest Oil Price Spike in History

Michael Moynihan | Posted 09.22.2008 | Green

Read More: Energy, Oil Prices, U.S. Senate, Wall Street, Energy Policy, Cftc, Oil, Green News

What did it mean when oil prices Monday spiked by their largest amount in history, $16 in one day? It means something is seriously wrong with the oil price market.

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More About Speculation and Manipulation In Oil Trading

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 09.05.2008 | Business

Read More: Oil, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Wall Street Journal, Marc Rich, International Energy Agency, Cftc, Rotterdam, Business News

It is good news that the CFTC is awakening from its reverie and beginning to deal with the core issues of oil trading. But it is still too much of a hit/miss operation with a degree of insouciance.

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Oil Trading: The CFTC Brings "Duh"! To a New Level

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 08.21.2008 | Business

Read More: Commidity Exhanges, Speculative Oil Futures, Nymex, Cftc, Oil, Dubai Merc, Washington Post, Ice, Vitol, Business News

Our valiant oversight heroes examined Swiss company VITOL's books last month and found that VITOL was more of a speculator holding oil contracts than a means of lining up the actual delivery of fuel.

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Oil Prices Were Manipulated, U.S. Government Commission Charges

Janet Ritz | Posted 07.25.2008 | Green

The agency charged with "ensuring the integrity of the futures & options market," has accused Optiver Holding of manipulating the prices of crude oil, heating oil and gasoline futures on the NY Mercantile Exchange.

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High Oil Prices: Is That The 800 Pound Russian Bear Dancing In The Trading Pits

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 07.08.2008 | Business

Read More: Gas Prices, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Cia, Cftc, Gazprom, Congress, United States, Alex Miller, Putin, Russia Oil, President Medvedev, Medvedev Oil, Business News

The price of oil has done for Russia what the cold war Kremlin was unable to achieve with all its missiles, tanks and mind numbing divisions of men and armor.

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Obama's Plan: Closing The Enron Loophole

R.T. Eby | Posted 06.23.2008 | Home

Read More: Commodity Futures Trading Commission Gramm, Enron Loophole Obama, Senator McCain, Cftc, Obama Stock Trading Controls, John Hofmeister, J. Stephen Simon, Obama Oil Speculation, Obama, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Exxon Tax, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Obama, Obama Oil Tax, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Mccain, Exxon, Oil Tax, Senator Obama, Gerry Ramm, Phil Gramm, Profits Tax Oil Company, Enron Loophole, Phil Gramm Mccain, Home News

Increased oil production will not result in lower prices at the pump until oil company loopholes are closed and the industry is forced to pay windfall-profits taxes to discourage price gouging.

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Our Treasury Secretary Pumps For OPEC

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 06.02.2008 | Business

Read More: Walter Lukken, Opec, Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson, Saudi Arabia, Cftc, Oil, Oil Prices, Business News

Paulson' recent statement gives underpinnings to perhaps the greatest swindle in history: the current price of crude oil on world markets.

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Oil -- Congress Finally Takes Charge Yet Must do Much Much More

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 05.29.2008 | Business

With a motivated and focused Congress, zeroing in on NOPEC legislation with enough votes to override the president's ever obstructionist veto, much could happen to solve our energy and global warming nightmare swiftly.

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The Why of Chokingly High Oil Prices: Bush Together with Saudi Arabia Spells Disaster for America

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 05.12.2008 | Business

Read More: Straits of Hormuz, Secretary Bodman, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Cftc, King Abdullah, State of the Union Address, Opec, Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Secretary Gates, Iran, Saudi Aramco, New York Times, King Abdul Azziz Order of Merit, Department of Energy, President Bush, Ali-Al- Naimi, Business News

As our so-called friends in Saudi Arabia watch our economy sink into recession, it's clear that the price of Mr. Bush's friendship has become frighteningly expensive to us and the rest of the world.

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Why The Paulson Plan Is DOA

Business Week | Michael Mandel | Posted 03.30.2008 | Business

Read More: Henry Paulson, Sec, Commodity Future Trading Commission, Hank Paulson, Wall Street, Cftc, Treasury Secretary, Business News

Let's see. In the middle of perhaps the greatest financial upheaval since the Great Depression, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is proposing a change ...

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Bashing Hugo, Kowtowing to OPEC

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 12.05.2007 | Business

Read More: Dept. Of Energy, President Hugo Chavez, Cftc, Strategic Petroleum Resrve, OPEC Sec. General El-Badri, Congress, Opec, Oil Minister Al-Naimi, King Juan Carlos, Nytimes, Business News

OPEC is scheduled to meet today and will undoubtedly try to regale us once more with platitudes reminding all of their diligence, and their concern for our well being.

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Those Damnable High Oil Prices: Blame it on the Energy Hogs Up in Maine!

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 11.13.2007 | Business

Read More: Iea, Oil Prices, Gold, Sen. Levin, Cftc, Maine, Opec, Am Petroleum Insitute, Nytimes, Oil, New York Times, New York Times Oil Reporting, High Oil Prices, New York Times Oil, Business News

A recent Times propaganda piece could have been written by the PR departments of the best and brightest of the oil companies, the American Petroleum Institute, or OPEC flaks.

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Energy Trading Oversight Awakens from its Slumber with Anticipated BP Settlement

Raymond J. Learsy | Posted 10.25.2007 | Business

Read More: Washington Post, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Bp, Senator Levin, Wsj, Eu, Cftc, Commodity Trading, Wall Street Journal, Business News

I have long contented that oil prices are being manipulated higher by oil interests and their allies. Now comes a sweeping validation of these contentions.

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