How High Will Oil Go?

(Newser) - A weak US dollar continued to fuel surging commodity prices today, keeping oil near $108 a barrel and moving a gallon of gas to $3.225, with analysts predicting near $4 prices by spring, the Wall Street Journal reports. Stress on the greenback is coming from not only major but minor currencies, as developing nations fight inflation by relaxing currency controls. More »

(Newser) - An ever-weakening dollar, an unexpected drop in US crude oil reserves, and a Wednesday OPEC decision not to boost production helped spur oil to a record $105.96 a barrel, Bloomberg reports. It's the third record this week, and the dollar’s $1.5345 against the euro is the lowest level its reached since the euro was introduced in 1999. More »

(Newser) - Crude oil rose to a record $104.52 a barrel today after OPEC decided to hold production steady. “The oil market is currently stable,” said Saudi Arabia’s oil minister. “There is no need to increase even one barrel of oil.” The cartel blamed sky-high prices on “tremendous speculation,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Oil futures were up $5 on the day. More »

(Newser) - As oil soared to nearly $104 a barrel today, it set an all-time, inflation-adjusted record, surpassing even the height of the oil crises of the '70s and '80s, the New York Times reports. Futures touched $103.95 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, beating out the April 1980 record of $39.50 a barrel, or $103.76 adjusted for inflation. More »

(Newser) - The dollar continued its fall as unrelentingly dismal economic data eroded confidence in the US economy, Bloomberg reports. The greenback set a new low of $1.52 against the euro this morning and hit a three-year bottom against the Japanese yen. Oil surged more than $2 a barrel to $103.05 in Asian trading before closing at $102.92.  More »

(Newser) - The dollar declined against most major currencies and fell to its lowest level ever against the euro today as markets anticipated another rate cut from the Fed when it meets March 18, increasing the value of assets outside the US, Bloomberg reports. The dollar’s erosion pushed commodity prices up, with oil topping $102 a barrel for the first time. More »

(Newser) - Oil prices have jumped 16% in two weeks, and analysts tell the Christian Science Monitor the run-up couldn't come at a worse time. As the US economy flirts with recession, beleaguered consumers could end up spending their economic stimulus checks to cover even higher gas prices. The $101.32 per barrel oil gushed to yesterday is attributed to cuts in production and fears that OPEC may trim output further at its meeting next month More »

(Newser) - After three-digit Dow gains, today's record surge in oil prices knocked out a broad rally, a