Supply and Demand of Oil

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Oil is an essential resource in the whole world. People use oil in a variety of ways. The world has used oil for many years and it will still use it as a basic commodity. Oil use can be traced back to 1850s. However, when Edwin Drake produced commercially usable quantities of crude oil from a 69-foot well in Pennsylvania in 1859, he marked a new period that considered oil as a valuable commodity. Oil prices have been inconsistent since 1859. The discoveries of more wells considerably lowered oil prices and made some oil barons abandon the industry. However, oil prices have increased over time because of several factors.

Many factors determine the supply and demand of oil in the short-term and long-term range. First, conflicts that occur in the world influence the supply and demand of oil. For instance, the onset of the United States of America Civil War brought about a surge in prices and demands of oil. It amplified the effects on the oil market by the cut-off of supplies of turpentine from the South and the introduction of a tax on alcohol, which rose from 20¢/gallon in 1862 to $2/gallon by 1865, in contrast to the 10¢/gallon tax on products derived from petroleum. Assuming a yield of about 20 gallons of oil per barrel of crude, each 10¢/gallon tax disparity on petroleum product cost of two dollars per barrel, which was a competitive advantage for oil. Because of this, the tax eliminated alcohol as a competitor to petroleum. As a result, oil production declined after 1862, even as new demand pressures grew. Other conflicts that affected the supply and demand of oil include the OPEC embargo that happened between 1973 and 1974, when Syria and Egypt attacked Israel. Others are the Iraq-Iran war between 1981 and 1986, the first P...

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...be more than two hundred dollars.

In conclusion, the supply and demand of oil is a complex issue that depends on several factors. Geopolitical affairs are the major issues that affect supply and demand of oil. Geopolitical factors include wars, uprisings and political inconsistencies in the world. Other factors that influence the demand and supply of oil include market domains, availability of oil, recession and the world GDP. Since 1859, the price of oil has been inconsistent. Despite the fact that oil prices increased and fell, there has been a considerable rising trend in those prices. In most cases, the falling of the price reaches the previous price level. However, increase of prices goes beyond earlier prices. This trend has seen oil prices rise over the years. With this in mind, it is clear that by 2020 the real price of oil will be more than 200 dollars.

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