Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Rising oil prices fuel a windfall for the industry

Apr 29, 2022
Outsize profits and stock buybacks are inviting more scrutiny from policymakers and environmental advocates.
Exxon Mobil reported quarterly profits of $5.5 billion and plans significant stock buybacks. Above, prices at a Southern California gas station in 2008.
David McNew/Getty Images

Domestic oil could increase supply, but it won't be cheap — or quick

Mar 9, 2022
"The harsh reality for U.S. oil markets is that there is no switch that anyone can flip to suddenly turn on oil production overnight," one expert told us.
It might take six to nine months for domestic oil producers to substantially ramp up production.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Has the pandemic made the U.S. less vulnerable to oil price spikes?

Mar 8, 2022
Biden's ban on Russian oil may raise already high fuel prices. Though recessions followed past runups, this time may be different.
High oil prices may not affect the U.S. like they used to. We produce a lot of the commodity ourselves, and many households are flush with savings.
David Ryder/Getty Images
The sun sets behind smoke rising from a refining plant in Houston.
Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

How rising oil prices make gasoline more expensive

Mar 7, 2022
Gas prices are based on oil prices, and traders are getting nervous about a potential ban on imported Russian oil.
Gasoline prices have surged along with the price of crude oil. The war in Ukraine has raised the possibility of a ban on imports from Russia, which could squeeze the global supply.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

$100-a-barrel oil may soon be a reality — and stick around

Jan 19, 2022
“It is ultimately about supply and demand,” one expert says. And COVID-19.
High oil prices mean high gas prices. The costs at the pump may not go down anytime soon.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Biden administration considers its options as gas prices rise

Nov 18, 2021
Officials are considering releasing oil from the strategic reserve. They’re also pushing the FTC to investigate possible price gouging.
There are several factors that go into why the price for gas can be so different from country to country.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

To drill or not to drill, that is the question with oil at $80 a barrel

Oct 11, 2021
So far, big oil companies are in the "not" camp.
As the rally in oil prices continues, independent drillers are expanding their investments in Texas’ Permian Basin, but so far, industry giants are on the sidelines.
Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images

Oil prices are high. So why aren't U.S. oil producers drilling?

Jul 6, 2021
Two reasons: reluctant investors and potential regulations.
A natural gas drill at a hydraulic fracturing site on in Springville, Pennsylvania, in 2012.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Some traders bet on oil hitting $100 per barrel as economies thaw

Jun 8, 2021
Demand is picking up as more and more people resume their normal lives after vaccination.
With more people on the move as economies reopen, oil prices will keep going up if demand outraces supply.
Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images