Oil Surges Record $25/Barrel

(NEWSER) - The price of crude oil slid briefly under $100 a barrel today for the first time in 5 months, Reuters reports. The development came even as Hurricane Ike bore down on the Texas coast and its many refineries; investors apparently think the slowing world economy will continue to drive down demand. After trading at $99.99, the price ticked back up to $100.27. More»

With home heating oil prices rising, natural gas looks like a better deal

(NEWSER) - Northeasterners expecting the price of heating oil to hit $4.35 a gallon are creating an avalanche of new business for heating and cooling contractors as they increasingly look to convert from oil heat to natural gas, reports the Wall Street Journal. A conversion to natural gas heat can cost up to $8,000, but can pay for itself in 4 to 6 years—and contractors are reporting months-long backlogs. More»

But international forces would win the ensuing conflict

(NEWSER) - If Iran ever really closed off the Strait of Hormuz—as it threatened to last week —oil prices could spike more than 50% in a matter of days, analysts tell the New York Times , with even a partial closure likely resulting in a $50-per-barrel increase. “You would get an international reaction that would not only be high, but irrationally high,” says the head of one energy think tank. More»

And stocks could 'soar': David Kotok

(NEWSER) - If the rebels succeed in taking Moammar Gadhafi down, expect oil prices to follow suit—which means stocks could skyrocket, writes analyst David Kotok at Business Insider . An end to the Gadhafi regime would likely allow Libyan oil production to rebound to a pre-crisis daily output of 1.6 million barrels. In that scenario, oil prices will fall worldwide as oil futures climb, and the US and other economies will get a big boost, explains Kotok, because "the oil price acts like a sales tax on consumption." More»

Oil giant credits strong demand

(AP) - Halliburton says the expansion of oil and natural gas drilling in North America helped boost company earnings by nearly 54% in the second quarter. Revenue also hit a company record for the period. The Houston oil services giant reported earnings of $739 million, or 80 cents per share today, with revenue jumping 35.2% to $5.94 billion. More»