Can't the petroleum idustry be cited for price fixing.Where is the competition.All have exactly the same price
406532
Because all of the gas stations are buying from the same supplier.  They all mark it up a couple of cents and sell at the same price.  I suppose it's collusion in a small way because they've agreed to the same price, but that's more of a running tradition.  Like if Burger King and McDonald's charge about the same price for burgers, are they colluding or is it just because they have the same costs and charge about the same?\n\nThe Sherman Act deals more with malicious fixing where they're doing things to drive out competition.  There are been tons of inquiries made into the price manipulation for the oil industry over the past few years, and none of them have found anything.  Most of the inquiries have concluded that the prices are from supply and demand, not price gouging.  You could argue it's from "bribes" or whatever, but there are no indications or concrete, credible sources to support this claim.\n\nThere's a bit more to read here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5365439
68886
First, you have the price of a barrel of oil. It is set basically by OPEC and the futures market. The oil companies buy oil and this rate and send it to the refineries. Refineries then convert the oil in gasoline (among quite a lot else). Refineries in turn sell the gas to wholesalers. The wholesalers then sell to your local gas station.\n\nMany times you will see stations within a mile of each other with wildly different prices. The reason for this is quite simple: busier stations sell more gas, and therefore buy more gas than a slower station. When prices are going up, for example, the station that sold the gas faster will have to buy the more expensive gas while the slower station still has the less expensive stuff in the ground. Then people rush to the lower-priced station and the whole process repeats.\n\nGas stations make, on average, about 5-10 cents per gallon depending on the market. In short, they make more off the car wash or can of Coke than the 50 gallons of gas you just bought.
1002698
The thing is the oil compagnies don't want to lose money so they brainwash people into thinking the alternative isn't any good.\nMeanwhile the others are  powerless.\n(The Oil compagnies are more powerful than the latter)
386567
Let's take a look at a few facts.  First, the cost of crude oil for each gallon of gas sold in this country has gone up from about 35 cents per gallon in 1999 to $1.59 per gallon in 2006.   So ... crude oil prices go up by 454% over a period of seven years.  How much did gas prices go up during the same period?  Try 162%.  Looks to me like things could be worse.\n\nSo ... did George Bush set those crude oil prices?  Did the oil companies go out there and set the prices that high?  Helllloooo!  Do you think the oil producing countries like Saudi Arabia might have had anything to do with it?  Is it possible that the ever-increasing worldwide demand for crude oil was a factor?  How about the fact that oil exploration slowed several years ago when crude was selling for under $20 a barrel?  Now that the price is so much higher many more companies are getting into the exploration business ... but it takes somewhere around 5 years from discovery of an oil deposit to actual production.  The price of oil didn't start its uphill swing until about 2004.  Do the math.  You also have the fact that oil is a commodity that is traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange.  Traders have much to do about setting prices.  Do you suppose that George Bush is calling these traders in to coach them on just what those prices should be?  That's what the Democrats want you to believe.\n\nIn short, when supplies increase and demand decreases.
589268
I think if we all had solidarity we could pick one of the big oil company's each month and not buy from them. Forcing them to scale down or sell their oil wholesale to the other company's. Let's say for the entire month of June we don't buy any products from Exxon/Mobile. That might get their attention.
581781
There is NOT a supply shortage. Even OPEC and Saudi Arabia are saying there's no shortage. They are saying the gas prices should not be anywhere near as high as they are. What's raising the cost is that oil companies are gouging everyone because they basically have a collective monopoly, even though they're supposed to be in competition with each other. That's why oil companies keep scoring record profits each year while average Americans are getting poorer.
360270
The basic concept is here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5365439\n\nThe paragraph under "Then who sets the prices?"\n\nCrude oil spot prices are here: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip_crude.html\n\nGas prices are here:\nhttp://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip_gasoline.html\n\nGas prices are basically following the crude minus the Katrina killing of some refineries that needed to be repaired so that's probably the spike.\n\nThis is our daily usage:\nhttp://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip_crude.html#inputs\n\nAbout 15 million barrels of crude oil per day now.  It also shows the Gulf Coast's major tank in production like I mentioned earlier around Nov '05.\n\nYou are correct that drilling in Alaska would probably not affect prices that much.  How much?  We don't know.\n\nThere's an article about it here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-11-03-senate-oil_x.htm\n\nUnfortunately, I don't have the DOE study handy.  Maybe you can find it for your purposes here. :)\n\nFor the actual price of crude oil, demand doesn't have to double in order for price to spike up double.  All it really takes is the minds of the traders on the futures market that something political or whatever is going on.  They are the main ones who set the prices that are used worldwide.\n\nOur net imports of oil have grown past 60% and are steadily rising every year: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/pdf/pages/sec1_15.pdf\n\nOne of the points touched on was worldwide demand, including India and China.  They are definitely demanding more and more each year: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/ipsr/t24.xls\n\nIt's slow but it's increasing.  How much this affects prices is unknown.  Predicting the value of the stock market in 5 years is about as easy.  No one really knows.  You have to remember that market prices are always forward looking, so it's what people think is going to happen in the future.  That's what the current price today is based on.\n\nAnd last by not least, the DOE's view on the current prices: http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/gasolinepricesprimer/eia1_2005primerM.html\n\nAnyway, this is just a bunch of raw data.  I'm sure that there are about 85 ways to look at it.  Most people here take only one side of the story, but hey, that's life on the Internet.  Have fun. :)
642020
OPEC is important because its member states account for enough crude oil production that they can influence prices.  They certainly do not control prices to the extent that they did back in the 1970s, but they are nonetheless very powerful.  I've provided a link for you
436434
Actually, gas prices in the US are artificially low.  We pay about 1/2 to 1/3 of Europe's prices.  Prices here fluctuate almost arbirarily, but also in accordance with supply and demand, and, of course, the price of oil.  It's precisely because we're in this war over oil that prices has gone up. War makes production and distribution a pain, to say the least.  Other oil producing nations, like Venzuela and Nigeria have also had political distruptions.
211130
Ok, the guy who wrote about the US having a secret stash of oil... did you know that everybody KNOWS that the US has there own oil up in Alaska... so it's not much of a secret if CNN has reported on it and congress has asked the President to tap into our own oil reserves. I think what the originator of this question was saying is, instead of the entire world sitting on their hands and letting the Saudi's or OPEC or whoever get away with pretty much robbing the world blind with oil prices the world should fight back with what ever means neccessary.\n\nAnd whoever it was that said it was OPEC that sets the prices not the Saudi's, well you obviously are one of the many many people in the world that are blind to the situatation, OPEC is an organization that is run by man y countries, the list of countries that run OPEC are: Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and lastly Venezuala. The last time I looked most of those countries hate the U.S... so what his point was about OPEC is beyond me.\n\nRaise the price of everything, I say do it. What do we have to loose? If the entire world did it what options would OPEC have? I dont care how many countries are using oil, the good thing is that there are ALTERNATIVES to fossil fuel now and they will only become more and more advanced, let's see what OPEC and it's members do when we dont need their oil... THEN the price of everything they import should go through the roof. Fight fire with fire I say, they obviously dont care if the cost to heat out homes this winter is $400 per month, then we shouldn'y care if they starve. DAMN this administration for letting this go on. Kudos to the originator of this post, and I will gladly be your running mate in the next election!!!! God Bless the USA.
202996
I have! Oil prices go down and gas goes up. Supplies increase the price at the pump goes up. The 2nd biggest oil deposit in the world comes under U.S. control.... You get the idea. Enough is enough. His friends have all made a buck on this insanity, let's go back to $1.00 a gallon.
342689
its a joke. they should have portest for the high gas prices. shell and the others are having record 30 billion + profits.
1090214
Buddy tell me who elected them ? we alllll. so its out mistake to believe in them. \nhere is a example to stop them if u r really serious ok. \n\ni got a mail  which mentioned a good point go through it.\nDear Friends !\n\nPetrol in Pakistan Rs17 per litr\nMalaysia Rs 18 per litr\nIn India it's 54 per litr ( the great indian bloody city bangalore)\nin common its around 50 in india.\n\nWhy this difference in Asia itself ? World Market CRUDE Oil is not the\nreason for this. It's all Gain for private owners? As we are the general\npublic, or Common Man as R.K.Laxman wud hv said, we have to raise our\nvoice, let's raise thru Emails.\n\nForward this to all Indians who care.\nIT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE DID NOT PURCHASE A DROP OF\nPETROL FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD\nCHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.\n\nAT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OVER\n4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OIL COMPANIES.\nTHEREFORE "THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 22nd " HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK\nIT UP THEIR BEHIND " DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A\nSINGLE DROP OF PETROL THAT DAY.\n\n\nTHE ONLY WAY THIS CAN BE DONE IS IF YOU FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO AS MANY\nPEOPLE AS YOU CAN AND AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO GET THE WORD OUT. WAITING\nON THE GOVERNMENT TO STEP IN AND CONTROL THE PRICES IS NOT GOING TO\nHAPPEN. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REDUCTION AND CONTROL IN PRICES THAT THE\nARAB NATIONS PROMISED TWO WEEKS AGO?\n\nREMEMBER ONE THING, NOT ONLY IS THE PRICE OF PETROL GOING UP BUT AT THE\nSAME TIME AIRLINES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES, TRUCKING COMPANIES\nARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES WHICH AFFECTS PRICES ON EVERYTHING THAT\nIS SHIPPED. THINGS LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING, BUILDING SUPPLIES MEDICAL\nSUPPLIES ETC. WHO PAYS IN THE END? WE DO!\n\n\nWE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.IF THEY DON'T GET THE MESSAGE AFTER ONE DAY, WE\nWILL DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. SO DO YOUR PART AND SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD\nTHIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND MAKE SEPTEMBER\n22nd A DAY THAT THE CITIZENS SAY "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"\n\nWe forward so many junk email to many of our friends, now let us do it\nfor some useful cause to cut down the price of the petrol .. ...\n\nREMEMBER : SEPTEMBER 22nd 2006\n\nPls "Think Of It ...............
551272
Spot prices are influenced by supply and demand. There is a slight arbitrage between trading facilities, but it is usually very small and does not last long.
1019271
Because as fiddlesticks9 said its a way to attract the consumer.  But what he forgot to mention is that in order to actually work you need the mindless consumers, who will see 1.99 as less then 2 and will always go to buy it from the one that has 1.99 price.\n\nPlus the true reason behind it is that when they buy the gas from the supplier, they are charges in the same manner.
242160
Gas station owners...Greed mainly.  We have no competition here so we are at the mercy of the few people that own the gas stations.\n\n$2.37 per gallon today. Cheapest grade
1015526
There is no agreement on how much oil there is. Therefore, 'peak oil' is a meaningless concept.  Besides, the US media is only interested in attacking their political opponents.  They couldn't care less about facts.