Monday, July 23, 2007

Hundred Dollar Oil - Sooner or Later?

We should all be prepared for oil/gas getting more expensive in the future. What we might not be prepared for is the fact that it could happen much sooner than people expect:

"'We're only a headline of significance away from $100 oil,' said John Kilduff, an analyst in the New York office of futures broker Man Financial Inc. 'The unrelenting pressure of increased demand has left the market a coiled spring.' New disruptions of Nigerian or Iraqi supplies, or any military strike against Iran, might trigger the rise, Kilduff said in a July 20 interview."

A military strike against Iran is highly unlikely, though I'm not discounting the possible threat they pose. But oil will climb to a price of or above one hundred dollars by the summer of 2008. Oil has been a volatile commodity and will continue to be for as long as the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries are growing. I previously said that oil will exhibit an upward trend, while at the same time offering buying opportunities about once a year. I believe this is based on seasonality:

"On January 18, 2007, the price of crude was $50.20. Today, June 14th, oil traded at $67.69 per barrel; that's a 35 percent increase since the winter months. Seasonal cyclical patterns are apparent in the short term."

I find it hard to believe that we're at the seasonal peak right now. Although oil pulled back today, it should be temporary. The Market Oracle offers a great visual representation of oil's summer peak last year. Oil peaked at a price just above $78 in September; although last summer seemed to have more conflicts last year, I would estimate that the world demand for oil this summer is higher than last summer. I would suggest taking profits if oil tops $78 dollars (16.5% profit) this summer and wait to jump back in during the winter months, which generally offers more jump-in points. Of course, I wouldn't recommend anything until the event happens and I issue a recommendation; oddities in the world could trigger unusual spikes and a savvy investor would much rather take more profits, even if the risk increases.

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