Demand And Supply Of Oil Prices

The reason of the fall in oil prices are the constant change of demand. The need for the oil is actually stagnant. Crude oil is becoming a product of the past. Today, you can harvest energy from solar, wind, water, heat, and waves. According to The Economist, “The use of fossil fuels in the rich world is mostly falling. Emerging economies are not currently taking up the slack”.

Evidently, the connection between fuel and the world has resulted in an intimate relationship between global economy and the prices of oil. In this regard, the world is increasingly growing dependent on petroleum and, as such, it follows that matters concerning fuel prices are bound to affect the global economy. Be it a slump or a rise, oil prices factor significantly in every country regardless of if the given country is an importer or an exporter; however, the impacts are different in magnitude for each nation. In fact, the behaviour of fuel prices at any given moment world widely is crucial in determining the performance of the global economy with both low and high prices affecting the economy exclusively.

The demand of gasoline has increased steadily over the last twenty years. In 1981 the U.S. averaged 6.5 million barrels of gasoline consumption per day. By comparison, in 2004 the U.S. averaged 9.2 million barrels of gasoline consumption per day. For most of this time period, gas prices stayed relatively the same. This is because the U.S. refineries increased their production to meet the demand and maintain the equilibrium price. Also during this same time period worldwide demand for crude oil increased 27%. Crude oil producers also increased their production to meet the demand keeping prices the same.

The United States consumes more than 25% of the world’s petroleum products which is a large percentage, considering only 3% of the world’s oil reserves are produced by the United States. Given the demand for petroleum products such as gasoline, understanding why Crude oil prices have skyrocketed in recent years, is not hard. According to the article “Ending America’s Oil Addiction,” the surge in crude oil prices can be reduced in large part to the simple concepts of supply and demand. (Cooper, 2008)

Globally, the largest consumers of oil are the world’s most advanced and developed industrial nations. These nations include the United States, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom. However, over the past few decades several nations from Asia and the Far East have become officially classified as major oil consuming nations, including China and Japan.

Energy efficient alternatives to oil, such as solar power and hybrid cars, have grown in popularity over the recent years. When gas prices were at an all time high, people began purchasing hybrid cars to cut gas costs. For example, from 2010 to 2014, sales in electric cars increased by almost 120,000 cars a year. As demand for electric cars rose, demand for oil decreased. Moreover, decreased consumption of oil in other parts of the world had led to less demand. Recent economic problems in China, one of the largest importers of crude oil, and developing parts of the worlds have led to an overall global drop in demand for oil. When a situation occurs where there is an excess amount in the quantity of a product compared to the amount of product that is needed, the price of the item drops. Similarly, as less oil is demanded throughout the world and a record number of oil is being produced, the price of oil is driven

Since June 2014, oil price has fallen by more than 70 percent. Price has recovered few times last year. However, it has sunk this year to levels not seen since 2003 (New York Times, 2016). This drop of price has affected several firms in the industry which we can mention Chesapeake (CHK). In fact, Chesapeake was quoted at more than $20 until late 2014. Today, it is priced below $5. The oil industry is known for its history of booms and busts. It is not the first time that this industry is shaken. In the 1985-86, supply-driven mainly caused the fall of prices. In 2008-2009, price fallen was entirely due to the collapse in demand. However, this reason behind this recent crisis is a little bit special: “price decline appears

The demand for oil has been predicted to increase despite the high price of oil. Sources of the demand for oil continue to increase with time worldwide. As countries industrialize and develop, their oil consumption increases together with their economy. Examples of countries that have their economy growing fastest and steadily are India and China. These two countries have their economy growing and the impact their economic growth has on oil demand is great. Some developed countries are also about to change their habits on oil demand. This will be likely adapted faster if the prices of oil continue to rise. Oil prices are determined by the traders and speculators who control and manipulate the future oil market (Anderson, 1).

Oil prices affect most American's daily lives. Whether it is used to fuel your car, a plane, to heat your home, or even if it is just used inside products, like plastic that we use daily, oil plays a role in all of our lives. Last year, in 2015, an extreme decline in gas prices swept the United States. For example, oil prices have decreased to less than $30 a barrel which is the lowest it has ever been in 12 years. There are many factors that can contribute to this sudden decline in gas prices, but their are three that are the most relevant. These include, the recent advancements in other fuel sources, the changes in the leading oil suppliers of the world, and the simple economic concept of supply and demand. These three ideas are all important in contributing to the fall of gas prices.

Crude oil is a naturally occurring substance,it is primarily composed of hydrocarbon deposits and other organic matter.Crude oil was first discovered and developed during the Industrial Revolution, and its industrial uses were first developed in the 19th century. Newly invented machines and mechanisms dramatically transformed the way in which we work, and they relied heavily, on these resources to function.Today, the world's economy is largely dependent on nonrenewable resources such as crude oil, and the demand for these resources often initiate political unrest, since a limited number of countries control and maintain the largest reservoirs. Like any industry, supply and demand heavily affects the prices and profitability of crude oil. The

Graph 1 represents the major companies and nations which product crude oil. It also represents how the bent crude oil price has fluctuated from 2004 until 2014. From 2004-2008 it is evident that there is a steady rise in oil prices, from $35-$150 per barrel. Towards the end of 2008 it is evident that there is a significant drop in oil prices, from $150- $32 per barrel. This is due to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) where the stock market collapsed on October 28, 1928, through this came the rapid decrease in oil prices. From 2009-2011 there is a steady increase in oil prices which was caused by the stock market repairing itself from impact of the GFC. In 2013 we are able to see declining oil

Oil is one of the most valued products in the world—which means oil can be very inelastic. It is something that people need in order for them to keep their cars going and for many other reasons in this world. When the cost of gas drops down, the usual consumer’s response is positive, however, that might not be the case for some producers in the market.

During this period, the price of ‘Brent’ crude oil (like WTI) reached an all time high in July of 145.61 USD/BBL in response to strong economic conditions prior to the Global Financial Crisis hitting in early 2009. The price of ‘Brent’ crude oil also similarly bottomed out in 1970, with a record low of 2.23 USD/BBL and following the GFC, prices sharply fell, with prices at 62.04 USD/BBL as of April 2015. Over the 45-year period, significant events such as the GFC, the Iran/Iraq war, the Iranian revolution and various OPEC cuts (as shown in graph 1) has caused the price of ‘Brent’ crude oil and crude oil as a whole to historically be fairly volatile and as such, these various political and economy-wide factors provide an explanation for volatility in prices over the past 45 years.

Anybody from Texas who drives a truck has felt glad about paying less money in regards to purchasing gasoline at a gas station. The truth is that the price of gasoline has been dramatically affected by the recent plunge in oil prices. There are different theories that explain the reason of this phenomenon. This paper will analyze the current oil market, as well as the key players who are winning the “war” of the oil prices.

World oil demand is increasing as emerging economies need more energy to increase their living standards. Estimates, shown below, are that by 2030, China and India as emerging markets will import over 70% to 90% of their fossil fuel needs (1) . Coupled to a continued high and growing demand for oil, makes this a robust market for the next 30 years.