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Oil Sinks to $83 on Global Panic

By the Associated Press

Posted Oct 10, 2008 7:44 AM CDT

(AP) – Oil prices plummeted to a one-year low below $83 a barrel today in European trading as investor fears of a severe global economic downturn sparked a panicked sell-off. "The whole market has lost confidence in everything," said one commodities strategist. "Everyone is worried about global growth, and oil is the front line commodity for that. There's just a lot of panic and fear."

Light, sweet crude for November delivery was down $3.85 to $82.74 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midmorning in Europe, the lowest since October 2007. OPEC said yesterday it will hold an extraordinary meeting Nov. 18 to discuss how the widening global financial crisis is affecting oil prices. "OPEC is trying to jaw-bone the price up," said  the strategist, "but they'll have to come into the market because no one is going to be believe just jaw-boning."

An oil tanker is docked at the Kinder Morgan terminal on Sept. 8, 2008 in Carteret, N.J.
An oil tanker is docked at the Kinder Morgan terminal on Sept. 8, 2008 in Carteret, N.J.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
In this Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007, file photo, showing a section of Tehran's oil refinery in Iran.
In this Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007, file photo, showing a section of Tehran's oil refinery in Iran.   (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, file)
The price of crude oil is shown in this graph.
The price of crude oil is shown in this graph.   (Graphic shows the price of crude oil; 1c x 2 7/8 inches; 46.5 mm x 73 mm)
In this Oct. 3, 2008 file photo, an oil pump seen in the desert area of Sakhir, Bahrain, in the Persian Gulf.
In this Oct. 3, 2008 file photo, an oil pump seen in the desert area of Sakhir, Bahrain, in the Persian Gulf.   (Hasan Jamali)
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Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

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