Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Cinquanta e settantatré

http://www.nynewsday.com/business/nyc-biz-oil1006,0,5477285.story?coll=nyc-b
izhome-headlines
By The Associated Press
October 5, 2004, 10:26 AM EDT
Crude oil futures prices briefly hit an all-time high of $50.73 a barrel
Tuesday as worries persisted over supply and unrest in key producers.
Crude oil for November delivery shot up as high as $50.73 a barrel in
electronic trading in advance of the opening of the New York Mercantile
Exchange where it had settled Monday at $49.91.
Tuesday's price surpassed a previous intraday high of $50.47 a barrel set
Sept. 28. Prices later pulled back, but remained above the $50 mark.
Oil prices are more than 60 percent higher than a year ago, but when
adjusted for inflation, still remain around $30 below the level reached in
1981.
A record was also set on London's International Exchange where the price of
Brent crude for November delivery opened at $46.56, up 37 cents, and climbed
to a new high of $47.00 before receding slightly.
Analysts say prices are likely to remain in that region over the next few
months due to fears of instability in Iraq and West Africa, surging demand
in China and India, and growing demand for low-sulfur crude.
"I would think that for the time being, the trading range will stay ...
between $40-$50 for New York prices," said Axel Busch, the chief
correspondent for Energy Intelligence Group in London, which plots energy
developments. "It could go higher if we have mayhem in Iraq or further
terror incidents in Saudi Arabia." The supply of distillate fuel, which
includes heating oil and jet fuel, is also tight, raising concerns among
traders because the home-heating season is just around the corner.
Busch said any pullback in prices to $35-$40 a barrel depended on tapering
off of demand, "new production into the market and new pipeline networks,"
as well as no major disruptions to production due to unrest.
Also Tuesday, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries president
Purnomo Yusgiantoro called for more transparent and reliable data to track
prices and counter rising speculation in the market.
"The current market shows a need for reliable oil statistics," Purnomo said
in Bali, Indonesia. He had earlier said OPEC could not do anything to cool
prices even after pledging to increase output.
Fereidun Fesharaki, head of U.S. energy consultancy FACTS Inc., cited China
as an example, claiming that Beijing's lack of open inventory data has
contributed significantly to the spike.
"There must be an obligation to report and an obligation to receive
information," Fesharaki said.
The market remains edgy over Nigeria, where on-again, off-again talks
between rebels and the government plague production in the Niger Delta --
which churns out over 2 million barrels per day and is America's fifth
largest source of crude.
Also of concern is daily output in the Gulf of Mexico, which stands at
around 28 percent below normal at roughly 1.2 million barrels, according to
the federal Minerals Management Service. More than 13 million barrels of oil
production have been lost since Sept. 13, when Hurricane Ivan swept through
the United States and the Caribbean, killing 115 and forcing oil companies
to shut down.
A number of platforms were damaged and undersea inspections are being held
up, further adding to the delays there.
America is the world's biggest consumer of oil, at about 25 percent of
global supply. But a larger, lingering worry among analysts is the amount of
excess capacity, or supply buffer, which hovers around 1 percent above daily
global consumption of 82 million barrels per day.
"If we get hit with a cold winter, supplies could get very tight," said Phil
Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago.
Busch said that the "world is straining at its supply base." Only Saudi
Arabia is able to pump more, maybe up to 500,000 barrels extra a day, but
because of its high sulfur content, "it's the wrong kind of oil," he said.
"Nobody wants it." Other factors weighing into the spike include: -- Fear
over Russian supply after oil giant Yukos warned that output might suffer
due to a multibillion-dollar back-tax bill.

#_Ambo secco su tutte le ruote?
Giano