EconMatters Contributor
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EconMatters Contributor's Latest Posts
California Wildfires, Electricity Shutoffs And A Troubled US Energy Future
Most of the news surrounding the electricity shutoffs in California—done to avert the ignition of additional wildfires by aging electrical infrastructure—has focused on two things: climate change and the greedy, incompetent management of Pacific Gas & Electric. Missing in this discussion is the broad neglect of the complex infrastructure of the United States and possibly […]
Weakening Shale Productivity Could Be Bullish For Oil Prices
After years of improvements in drilling techniques and impressive “efficiency gains,” there is now evidence that the U.S. shale industry is reaching the end of the road on well productivity. A report earlier this month from Raymond James & Associates finds that the U.S. shale industry may struggle to achieve further productivity gains. If these […]
The Chinese Ban On U.S. Agricultural Products Will Be A Death Blow For Countless U.S. Farms
U.S. farmers have never experienced a year quite like this. During the first half of 2019, endless rain and unprecedented flooding were the major problems. As a result of the incredibly wet conditions, millions of acres of prime farmland didn’t get planted at all, and tens of millions of other acres are going to yield […]
Map Shows Devastating Crop Losses Are Happening All Over The World
Let me warn you right up front – the information in this article might freak you out. If what some experts are telling us is true, a global food crisis appears to be inevitable. Even during good years we have a really difficult time feeding everyone on the planet, and now a major climate shift […]
What If Venezuela And Iran Oil Are Totally Off The Market?
We’re hyper-focused on politics at the moment because, well, Trump. If he weren’t the president, with unshakeable support from one faction while inducing loathing from another, then the 2020 election cycle might be a touch less fanatical. But he is the president, and we’ve got Democratic hopefuls pummeling each other as they move to the […]
Shale Oil And Gas Industry: 80% Of Its Value Destroyed In 10 Years
Recently, the former CEO of the largest shale gas producer in the United States told a roomful of conference goers what any competent financial analysis would have revealed many years ago: the shale oil and gas industry as a whole has been destroying capital since its inception. “The fact is that every time they put the drill […]
Why Chevron Left The Anadarko Party Early
Welcome to the bidding war that didn’t happen. The decision last week by international oil giant Chevron Corp. to leave its takeover bid for shale oil and gas-heavy Anadarko Petroleum Corp. unaltered in the wake of a higher offer from rival bidder Occidental Petroleum Corp. surprised some who had expected a back and forth escalation between the […]
Will Rising Energy Prices Lead To Higher Inflation?
It happens whenever there’s a sharp rise in gasoline or oil prices. Pundits focus on the increases and cry foul if broad inflation gauges don’t confirm the price hikes at the pump. But it’s short-sighted to assume that a spike in energy prices will automatically lead to higher inflation overall. It’s tempting to argue otherwise, […]
Gasoline Market Tightening In Latest EIA Energy Report
Introduction After last week`s surprising build of 7.2 million barrels in the oil market, we were wondering if this was an anomaly, the effects of the shipping channel disruptions, or just a timing issue regarding tanker offloads. Well, we added another 7 million barrels to oil inventories again this week, but gasoline inventories had a […]
The Russians Are Coming To America ….. Bearing Oil
As America’s Russia hysteria is stirred once again by the arrival of the long-awaited report of the U.S. Department of Justice on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, a surge in Russian oil imports has arrived on America’s shores. The surge was little noticed by what passes for the U.S. foreign policy apparatus these days […]
