As the chart to the left shows, in the period from 2002 until 2014 the U.S. moved from 3rd place to 1st place in world crude oil production. This is primarily due to the improvement in “fracking” technology which has led to the massive increase in the production of shale oil. This does not sit […]
Are Low Crude Oil Prices a “Boom Or A Curse” For The World Economy? Read More »
With OPEC breaking down and any kind of coordination among its members on price cuts looking increasingly unlikely, it now appears that oil prices could remain below $50 a barrel for a year or more. As producers confront this unpleasant reality, some will finally start to significantly curtail or even shut down operations. And that is going to severely hurt an all but invisible group; strippers in the United States.
Strippers Suffering From Low Oil Prices Read More »
Today, a violent Colombia is just a Hollywood fiction. The real Colombia has one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America. Some remote areas are still no man’s land. But the drug wars and civil conflict that started in the 1960s and tormented much of the country have wound down. I’d feel much safer walking down a street in Medellín tonight than I would in many parts of New York City, Chicago, or Washington, D.C. Plus, unlike most Latin American countries, Colombia welcomes and respects foreign investment.
It’s clear to anyone who has been there recently that Colombia has turned a page to a better future. The country has immense charm and plenty of opportunity for investors. That was certainly my impression after visiting earlier this year.
The End of the Longest Running War in the Americas Read More »
As the terrorist attack in Paris sparks worldwide fear of similar reprisals and a bloody shootout and hostage situation in a five-star Mali hotel exacerbates those concerns, global energy security reels under the pressure of unfathomable geopolitics. In an exclusive interview with Oilprice.com, Robert Bensh—managing director and partner at Pelicourt, a Western-owned oil and gas company navigating tricky conflict zones—discusses:
• The terrorist threat to global energy security
• What ISIS is really after
• The bigger oil picture for ISIS
• Why Iraq can’t cope
• Why Iraqi Kurdistan has disappointed
• Why loose and shifting alliances spell geopolitical disaster
• Whether it’s all as doom-and-gloom as it seems…
ISIS, Turkey And Oil – The Bigger Picture: Interview With Pelicourt Read More »
Russia’s central bank recently warned about the growing financial risks to the Russian economy from Saudi Arabia encroaching upon its traditional export market for crude oil. Russia sends 70 percent of its oil to Europe, but Saudi Arabia has been making inroads in the European market amid the oil price downturn. The result is a
Saudi War Of Attrition With Russia’s Oil Industry Read More »
For the first time in close to a century, mankind may be about to give serious attention to a technology that has the potential to be a true game-changer in transportation. Elon Musk famously proposed the idea of the Hyperloop a few years ago, and suggested it could be a revolutionary method for travel based on available technology today.
Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Takes A Step Forward Read More »
Nevada is booming as new lithium companies rush in to stake out targets and massive business development gets underway, from Tesla to Amazon and Apple. As the state’s southwest corner fills up with new lithium players, Tesla gears up for its battery gigafactory and the world’s largest data center sets up shop, Nevada is poised for one of the greatest economic revival stories of the century.
Forget Vegas, Nevada Is Now About Reno And Lithium Read More »
The whole of economic life is a mixture of creative and distributive activities. Some of what we ‘‘earn’’ derives from what is created out of nothing and adds to the total available for all to enjoy. But some of it merely takes what would otherwise be available to others and therefore comes at their expense.
The Balance Between Creating and Taking Read More »
The Republican-controlled Congress faces some tough decisions in the days ahead. Who will they select to replace John Boehner as Speaker of the House? Will they capitulate to the Obama administration’s demands for a no-strings-attached increase in the national debt?
Debt Limit Showdown: Obama Administration Ramps Up Pressure on Republican Allies Read More »
While other commodities are collapsing in this market, lithium—the critical mineral in the emerging battery gigafactory war—is poised to explode, and going forward Nevada is emerging as the front line in this pending American lithium boom… For several years, experts have been predicting a lithium revolution, and while investors were being coy at first, the reality of the battery gigafactories is now clear, and nothing has hit this home more poignantly than Tesla’s recent supply agreements with lithium providers who will be the first beneficiaries of this boom, followed by a second round of lithium brine developers that are climbing quickly to the forefront.
Lithium Market Set To Explode – All Eyes Are On Nevada Read More »
