Oil under $130

Crude prices fell $5.31, to $129.18 a barrel, bringing the three-day skid to nearly $18 (the all-time record high was on Friday, at $147.27). Here's the Bloomberg story. This was no doubt a factor in the Dow climbing more than 200 points. So what gives? Beyond all kinds of technical factors and a lessening of tensions with Iran, the basic explanation is sluggish demand (even from China) that has kept buyers on the sidelines. A report earlier this week said that oil prices might have peaked at $147.27. There's no way to know where this might be headed, but for what it's worth CNBC contributor John Kilduff said that going under $131 would be a big deal. We’ll see.


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Mark Lacter
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.
 
Mark Lacter, business writer and editor was 59
The multi-talented Mark Lacter
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