Thanks for hangin with me on my first post guys.
Below is a link to the entire article and it shows the stats much better.
To add a few thoughts, I follow the oil industry fairly closely, as an observer not an investor. And.......it is correct to say from what I read that "Futures" and other speculative ventures is what controls the price of oil in all normal times and as well add to the fire in uncertain times when supply can be legitimately considered to be interrupted.
It doesn't cost any more this year in relative terms to bring a barrel of oil to the surface, transport it, refine it, deliver it and advertise it than it did last year or the year before. And.......from what I read, the profits go directly to the owners of the oil and the oil companies that get it out for them, not your corner gas station. Their spread is X cents per gallon whether it is $2 a gallon or $4 a gallon.
Having lived in Sweden, Peru and Canada, I have experienced pretty much the spectrum of gas prices. In the money of the day, the mid 1970s, about $4 per gallon in Sweden where the money is spent not only on supporting their health and education system but also results in the best roads I ever drove on.
In Peru, it was about $.25 per gallon and the roads were amongst the worst I have experienced. In Canada, about $3 per gallon and again great roads in a difficult environment.
At that time, I think we paid about a $1 a gallon if I remember correctly here in the US. And our roads weren't and aren't all that good.
All things are relative guys and girls, you get what you pay for and our gas while expensive is still relatively cheap for a developed country.
One of the reasons, I guess, that we can still drive SHOs, Lightnings and Cobras
Bill
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/market-news/gas-prices-world-high-low-country-pain-pump/19895547/
