Saudi Arabia

Fracking for oil is expensive, so at some point falling prices will make some wells unprofitable.

Saudi Arabia has made a $3 billion pledge to help Lebanon buy arms to counteract the role of Hezbollah.

The International Energy Agency is forecasting that the U.S. will become the biggest oil producer in the world within the next decade.

The OPEC oil embargo nearly 40 years was a shock to the U.S. and its economy. But the long-term effects proved a shock to Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members, who learned that oil and politics don't mix.

In his new novel, "A Hologram for the King," Dave Eggers muses on manufacturing and the global economy though the eyes of a struggling American businessman in Saudi Arabia.

The world's largest oil exporter isn't necessarily concerned about saving the planet. It's about being able to export even more crude.

Saudi Arabia is using a steady hand to ensure stable prices of oil, even if that means increasing supply. It's in their best economic interest.

Political hack?

Halting, or even dislocating, the flow of one-fifth of the world's oil supply could send the price of crude into the stratosphere. But the oil market doesn't appear to take the threat seriously.

Oil prices are down a bit this morning after a Saudi oil official said his country would pump more crude. That follows Iran's threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, where about one fifth of the world's oil passes through.