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Demand And Supply Of Oil Prices

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The sporadic nature of oil prices has over the years posed as a great deal of concern to economists, investors, financiers, consumers, analysts and other relevant stakeholders. In a perfect market, the price of a commodity is an indication of the present circumstances as well as future signals that could impact demand and supply. Ordinarily, we expect prices of commodities to move in response to changes that affect demand and supply at a relatively ‘normal’ rate. When prices change drastically within a short period and consistently over time, then such market is fraught with high volatility – a typical case of the crude oil market. A sudden increase in oil price becomes a concern for the consumer as it results into a reduction in his purchasing power; thereby struggling with allocation of income among competing demands. For an investor, high price volatility increases risk associated with the investment and also creates uncertainties. High volatility will impact the macroeconomic variables in an economy including but not limited to unemployment, inflation, consumption, investment and industrial output (Ebrahim, Inderwildi et al. 2014a). This paper seeks to evaluate oil price volatility by examining the trend of oil price from 1970 to 2013. Attempts will be made to explain the causes and root factors influencing price changes. Finally, a view on whether oil price volatility is inevitable will be established. Annual U.S. Imported Crude Oil Prices Nominal vs.

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