The First Oil Shock
At a time when oil prices spiralled down from over $100 to below $50 within half a year, talking about ‘oil shock’ may seem odd. Yet, the oil shock of…
In the News
The Secret World of Oil
Ken Silverstein Verso Books Dodgy practice in the oil industry may appear to be a ‘yawn, yawn’ subject – don’t we all know that companies lobby and pay into campaign funds? And…
Malta
A country shaped by limestone (and a bit of very old poo). If one word could sum up the Mediterranean island nation of Malta, it would be ‘limestone’. Limestone has…
Hubbert’s Peak: Not yet reached
In 1956, Shell geophysicist M. King Hubbert predicted that US oil production would reach its highest level in the 1970s. Hubbert’s prediction came true in 1971. The geoscientist got his…
Iran. The Implications of Peace
An agreement on Iran’s nuclear industry should be signed by the end of June. What are the implications for the oil price, OPEC and the industry? It seems that the…
Time to Invest or to Panic?
As everyone knows, the oil price has plummeted in recent months. Spiraling ever downwards alongside it has been the value of E&P stocks and shares – but is this correlation…
Ceyhan. An Unassuming Hub
Most inhabitants of this strategically important oil export centre are unaware of the significance of their town in the world’s economy. It would be hard to overstate the importance of…
Not for the Faint-Hearted
The Frackers (2013) Author: Gregory Zuckerman Portfolio/Penguin This is the book of our time, the story of the US shale energy revolution, told through the lives of the ‘part gamblers, part salesmen, part geologists’ who were…
All Bad News?
Winners and losers as the oil price slump continues. Is the precipitous drop in oil prices we have seen in recent months all bad news? Certainly not for consumers, who…
Scotland Decides
The issue of Scottish independence has divided a nation – and worried an industry. Since oil was first discovered in the cold, stormy waters of the UK North Sea, people in…
The Great Black Giant
On a dream – and a bit too close to her garden – the old wooden derrick was skidded to its third location on Mrs. Daisy Bradford’s 970 acre, East…
Big D
Dazzling Dallas rose up from the north Texas plains as a technical and financial center for the oil industry following the 1930 discovery of the supergiant East Texas oil field.…