On Mon, 5 Mar 2012 19:36:17 -0500, BAR wrote:

In article ,
says...

On Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:04:28 -0500, X ` Man
wrote:

It's the speculators and the uncertainty of a modicum of stability
among Muslim states in the Middle East that are raising the prices of
oil.

===

In most cases the "speculator" is the logistics manager for some large
petroleum consumer who is trying to do their job by locking up
sufficient future supplies.

Or the guy who runs a plant that runs on bunker oil. He buys oil futures
contracts to ensure that he has the resources to operate his plant at a
known cost.

===

Exact same concept. His job is to make sure the fuel is there when
needed. If there is risk he starts booking farther out and creates
an increase in demand.