...independent oil and gas companies have responded to the recent spikes and increased volatility in oil and natural gas prices by stepping up the practice of price hedging to shore up earnings and capital spending. Hedging can be a tricky practice to manage, and guessing wrong on price can do a lot of damage to a company's bottom line. The depth of the recent plunge in US gas prices caught virtually everyone by surprise, so some producers have succeeded nicely with what historically might have seemed high-priced hedges. Others missed a golden opportunity. But, in general, US independents are becoming more comfortable with the practice. While taking a breather from the wild price rollercoaster natural gas prices have been on of late, independents are devising new hedging strategies for coping with the vagaries of ever-more volatile commodity prices. Increased hedging US independents have watched natural gas prices drop from around $10/Mcf in December to about $3/Mcf in recent weeks. Oil prices also have fluctuated, as the world watches the Organization of Petroleum Countries work to maintain its targeted oil price band. Hedging is one strategy that independents use to try to lock in oil and gas prices as they strive for predictable cash flows to support exploration and development spending plans. "Companies have been doing more hedging on gas recently than they have done historically," said Robert Morris of Salomon Smith Barney. "Companies took advantage of high gas prices for two reasons:...
Words: 346 - Pages: 2
...Individual Paper- Gas Prices Petroleum gas affects many of us when it is constantly increasing and decreasing all the time. Over the past few years gas prices have varied from $3.11 a gallon to $3.97 a gallon. Petroleum gas prices do not just affect the companies that provide the product but affects the people of the United States. When gas prices increase it can cause many problems with people getting to where they need to go. Many people cannot afford the prices with jobs they have now, which causes them to miss days of work causing them to lose their jobs. Petroleum gas can affect many people even farmers when it comes time to take care of their crops causing many people not getting the products they need. When all these people cannot afford the prices of gas they tend to change how they are doing these things. For an example farmers not being able to process their crops can cause them to have to have smaller crops. This will lead other products from their crops to rise in prices when it goes to the stores. Market equilibrium in this case refers to a condition where a market price is established through competition such that the amount of goods or services sought by buyers is equal to the amount of goods or services produced by sellers (Colander, 2010). The constant changes in gas prices will affect the product itself along with the market and equilibrium prices. When the price in gas increases the demand for the gas will lower due to the amount it takes to fill a person’s...
Words: 854 - Pages: 4
...venture to the next, is now seeking to invest in two gas stations and has asked me for my educational perspective. His rationale for this business venture is that American consumers have officially accepted the insanely high gasoline prices and what he doesn’t earn in gas sales, he will compensate with convenience item sales. Willing to do anything to assist my family and also not quite sure if it is a smart investment, I told Aly I would do my research and relay my findings. In order to effectively help ALy, there are certain relevant economic principles that must be assessed and determined. The issues to be addressed when starting a business, such as a gas station, are: demand determinants, supply determinants, costs of production, pricing, and normal or economic profit or loss. Demand Determinants Before any business can begin, regardless of the type of business, the potential business owners and investors must first determine if the demand for the products and/or services the business is providing is high or low. As gas consumers, certain factors are assessed in determining their reactivity to gas prices. Gas consumers must ask themselves: What factors would make them more or less susceptible to price changes in the gasoline industry? Has he/sheresponded differently to price changes in gasoline during certain periods in their life? Why is it that gas price changes at certain stations seem to affect them more than gas price changes in the industry as a whole? In consideration...
Words: 3782 - Pages: 16
...venture to the next, is now seeking to invest in two gas stations and has asked me for my educational perspective. His rationale for this business venture is that American consumers have officially accepted the insanely high gasoline prices and what he doesn’t earn in gas sales, he will compensate with convenience item sales. Willing to do anything to assist my family and also not quite sure if it is a smart investment, I told Aly I would do my research and relay my findings. In order to effectively help ALy, there are certain relevant economic principles that must be assessed and determined. The issues to be addressed when starting a business, such as a gas station, are: demand determinants, supply determinants, costs of production, pricing, and normal or economic profit or loss. Demand Determinants Before any business can begin, regardless of the type of business, the potential business owners and investors must first determine if the demand for the products and/or services the business is providing is high or low. As gas consumers, certain factors are assessed in determining their reactivity to gas prices. Gas consumers must ask themselves: What factors would make them more or less susceptible to price changes in the gasoline industry? Has he/sheresponded differently to price changes in gasoline during certain periods in their life? Why is it that gas price changes at certain stations seem to affect them more than gas price changes in the industry as a whole? In consideration...
Words: 3783 - Pages: 16
...Page 3 Consumer Response to Changes in gas prices Page 3 Price Elasticity Page 4 Suppliers Response to Price Changes Page 4 Equilibrium Prices under low price elasticity Page 5 What Causes Gas Prices to Increase Page 6 Opportunity Cost Page 7 Conclusion Page 7 Introduction Prices are set by demand and supply. When supply falls, prices rise quickly. The demand for oil continues to hit a record high. Countries like China and India are consuming it more frequently as they industrialize, but cars and power factories. However, the supply of gasoline has been restricted by certain requirements forcing oil refiners to manufacture different gasoline for an assortment of purposes. The price of gasoline reflects producers’ costs and consumer’s willingness to pay. Gasoline prices tend to rise if the cost to produce and supply such commodity rises, or if people decide to buy less gas at the current price (when supply is greater than demand). The price of gasoline will stop rising or falling when a price is reached at which quantity demanded is equal to quantity supplied by producers, otherwise known as equilibrium. Consumer Response to changes in the price of gas 3 The rising price of gas will affect consumer spending rather than significantly impacting the amount of gasoline being purchased. The major aspect of the consumer life affected by the spike in gasoline prices is the change made to their expenditures across...
Words: 1184 - Pages: 5
... It is indeed very lucrative for potential owners to purchase gas stations in our current economic condition where gas prices are at sky high, especially in places where public transportation is scarce. On average, the whole United States have faced an increased in gas prices nearly 5 cents from March 21st, 2014 to April 4th, 2014 (Reuters, 2014). According to Reuters, Lundberg survey has shown that this increase in gas prices was caused by an increase in demand. In fact, the United States has been experiencing gas prices increasing since early February this year after gas prices saw a price fall in late 2013 (Reuters, 2014). Despite of the fact that gas prices and demand for gas is high, it makes sense for cousin Edgar to spend his money on purchasing gas stations because the facts suggest that he could gain a lot of profits by operating gas stations. However, there are other various factors that cousin Edgar must take into consideration before spending his money, such as the gas demand and supply, the price elasticity of both, the cost of gas production, as well as the future challenges that awaits him in the future. One thing that Edgar must know about what can affects demand is the availability of substitute product, which in this case the substitute product for gas would be the use of public transportation. In places where there is a good public transportation system like in San Francisco, the demand for gas could be more elastic compared to Los Angeles, because consumers...
Words: 3096 - Pages: 13
...Shomo September 13, 2014 Situation C Last night about 7pm, I went to fill up on gas at the closest gas station by my home in Merrillville, Indiana. The Speedway gas station had gas for $3.49 a gallon for regular unleaded gas. Midgrade gas was $3.69 a gallon, Premium was $3.89 a gallon, and Diesel was $3.89 a gallon. I always try to fill up before the work week, as I do not want to get stuck in Chicago, Illinois where I work, and have to fill up on gas. Gas prices are dramatically different in my 40 mile radius. Today, gas prices in Chicago off my exit for work are $3.99 a gallon for unleaded gas at the Marathon gas station at the corner of South Blue Island Ave and Western Ave (Gas Prices in 60608 Zip Code, GasBuddy). That is 50 cent savings per gallon. If I just filled up 10 gallons, which is a savings of $5. It doesn’t sound like much, but I used to fill up twice a week on my about 46 mile commute to work. For the month, that would be an estimated savings of $40 if I do not use my vehicle for anything else but work. Now my cousin Edgar, who is always thinking about the next get rich scheme, is thinking about possibly opening up two gas stations. He believes that he will make a good profit if he also sells convenience items at both of his gas stations. He found out I was taking this Economics course and figured I would be happy to help him research his idea of opening two gas stations in the area. I wasn’t too thrilled, as he always is trying to find get rich...
Words: 3605 - Pages: 15
...The price of gasoline has a close relationship with the price of oil. According to Wikipedia, Crude oil is the primary raw material used to produce gasoline and from the mid 1980s to 2003 the price of a barrel of oil was generally under $25. In 2003 the price reached $30 per barrel and by 2005 was up to $60. It peaked in 2008 at almost $150 per barrel and has been causing great economic hardship for societies across the globe. There are several reasons for the increase such as declines in petroleum reserves, tension in the Middle-East and oil price speculation. (Wikipedia.com) The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries including Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Venezuela, who pursues ways and means of ensuring the stabilization of prices in international oil markets with a view to eliminating harmful and unnecessary fluctuations. It secures a steady income for its members while ensuring an efficient and reliable supply of petroleum to consuming nations and a fair return for investors in the petroleum industry. OPEC’s influence has been criticized since it became effective in determining production and prices. (Wikipedia) Even though this paper focuses on gasoline prices, it is impossible for me to speak about gas and not also mention oil. Economies around the world are very dependent on oil which is vital to providing petroleum for motor vehicles as well as generating electricity. A decade ago...
Words: 2039 - Pages: 9
...Salifu SAPAD133 Economics (ECF1110D) The Oil and Gas sector includes the oil and gas extraction industry as well as petroleum refining. The United States is the world's third-largest petroleum producer, with more than 500,000 producing wells and approximately 4,000 oil and natural gas platforms operating in U.S. waters. Together, oil and gas supply 65 percent of U.S. energy. The nation's 144 refineries process more than 17 million barrels of crude oil every day. Oil and gas production facilities include 16,000 establishments with a value of shipments of $134 billion. Natural gas is seen as a good source of electricity supply for a number of economic, operational and environmental reasons: it is low-risk (technically and financially); lower carbon relative to other fossil fuels; and gas plants can be built relatively quickly in around two years, unlike nuclear facilities, which can take much longer. (“Oil and Gas”, n.d.) Oil prices have risen while natural gas prices have soared. Using the supply and demand models, this essay analyzes the change in price from an economic point of view. The price of oil rose 1 percent Thursday as stockpiles declined and new indications that demand is rising in the U.S., the world's largest crude consumer. The price of natural gas soared nearly 5 percent to close at $4.46 per thousand cubic feet — the highest price since July of 2011 — after the government reported a huge draw in supplies,...
Words: 1833 - Pages: 8
...2-Sales ND) expended by the consumer are dictated by supply and demand. This essay will analyze the consumption patterns of natural gas as it relates to the supply and demand of said good. Natural gas consumption for generating power is increasing and consumption of natural gas for electric power has surpassed natural gas consumption “in the industrial sector since early 2009. The power sector added a significant amount of new natural gas fired generating capacity over the last decade, much of which was in the form of efficient combined-cycle units” (EIA.GOV, 2012, p.1). In years past, while coal-fired generation was inexpensive, the natural gas-fired combined-cycle units were utilized at somewhat lower rates. In the industrial sector, natural gas use rose in 2010 and 2011, reversing a trend of declining use that lasted from “the mid-1990s to 2009. Natural gas is used in the industrial sector and manufacturing sub-sector for process heating, steam generation, onsite electricity generation, space heating, and petrochemical processing” (EIA.GOV, 2012, p.3). The descending trend in natural gas prices has lessened the cost of essential input for many commercial enterprises. Because short-term adaptability to take quick advantage of low natural gas costs is limited to this category, many of these enterprises that relied so much on natural gas as fuel closed down or went global in the late 1990s and...
Words: 911 - Pages: 4
...Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………………. | 9 | Economic Justification ……………………………………………………………………………….. | 9 | References …………………………………………………………………………………………….. | 11 | Introduction Overview Cousin Edgar needs to understand/decide if he should invest in buying two gas stations. He must consider the high costs of pursuing this idea on business and to try to recover his costs quickly. If the cost of gasoline is taken as a measuring rod then he needs to understand if he can earn enough to recover the costs of investing. Starting a gas station business can be one of the best decisions Cousin Edgar can make as an entrepreneur. He can either set up new gas stations or buy gas stations for sale. If he decides to buy one then he must have some knowledge about how to buy a gas station and if he is planning to set up new gas stations on his own then he is going to need to do some serious research as to how he can go from start to launch. He needs to consider doing lots of research and checking out numerous gas stations for sale before starting up. One of the first steps is to choose a location and find a property. It is important to find a location with the necessary driver demand for fuel and convenience store items is probably the most vital step. Gas station requires a high start-up costs and operating costs, with a high volume of sales, or it will...
Words: 2712 - Pages: 11
...classic application examples of supply and demand is the gas/petroleum market. Gas prices are established through basic supply and demand, when demand rises and supply falls, prices rise quickly; and just the converse when supply increases and demand falls, prices decrease (although rare in modern day occurrence). Fluctuations in gas prices are also the result of multiple industry factors including uncertainty in the economy, economic demands for oil and the price per barrel of oil. Speculation and forecasting also lend a hand in continuously moving market equilibrium. Intermediaries in the market, such as gas wholesalers, can also have a profound impact on the market through price increases, charging higher premiums for service and handling. Multiple influences affect the price of gas, some direct, others indirect. One such case of an indirect influence on price is natural disasters. The hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico region have impacted gas prices on more than one occasion, more recently Hurricane Katrina. The devastation that rocked the nation impacted the supplies of crude oil and gas productions leading to a shortage. This shortage was felt almost immediately as prices per gallon of gas skyrocketed. (Chevron Corporation 2005-2008) Government regulations and taxation also impact the price of gas to the consumer. National, state, regional and local government each has levied a tax on gas. These taxes impact the price per gallon as it varies from area to area. States and...
Words: 1947 - Pages: 8
...with parents paying well over the retail price just to make their children happy. Then, in January, stores reduce the prices of their remaining holiday items – cards, decorations, and so on. Why do parents – and stores – behave this way? The answer is in the laws of supply and demand. Together, these laws give us strong clues about what to produce, how much to produce, and how much to charge. Because supply and demand play such a central role in our economy, it's important to understand how they operate – and how you can use them to analyze decisions about price and quantity. The Law of Demand Demand, in economic terms, shows how much of a product consumers are willing to purchase, at different price points, during a certain time period. After all, we all have limited resources, and we all have to decide what we're willing and able to purchase – and at what price. As an example, let's look at a simple model of the demand for a good – let's say, gasoline. (Note that this example is illustrative only, and not a description of the real gasoline market.) If the price of gas is $2.00 per liter, people may be willing and able to purchase 50 liters per week, on average. If the price drops to $1.75 per liter, they may be able to buy 60 liters. At $1.50 per liter, they may be prepared to purchase 75 liters. Note that while some gas usage is essential – driving to work, for example – some use is optional. Therefore, as gas prices drop, people may choose to make more optional...
Words: 1900 - Pages: 8
...and Gas Industry The oil and gas industry is one of the most talked about industries today, at least in my town it is. Everywhere I go I hear people talking about the rise or fall in gas prices or how the cost of a barrel of crude oil has just gone up or down .10 cents. I also hear about how the current hurricane season could pose a threat to the oil industry, as it did last year with hurricane Katrina, putting oil refineries under water or causing extreme damage to them. In this essay I am going to discuss the shifts and price elasticity of supply and demand in the oil and gas industry. I am also going to discuss the oil and gas industry’s positive and negative externalities, wage inequality, and monetary and fiscal policies. Lastly, I will discuss the economic affects and influence on the oil and gas industry. Shifts and Price Elasticity of Supply and Demand The price elasticity is the affect of the price for a good on the demand of that good. If consumers are not affected by the change in price then this good would be referred to as inelastic. If consumers are affected by the change in price then this good would be referred to as elastic. The oil and gas industry is inelastic when the prices rise because, although consumers slightly reduce their consumption of oil and gas, consumers still purchase oil and gas. With gasoline prices in the U.S. approaching an average $3 a gallon, Americans are moaning about the rising cost, but so far they are resisting big changes in their...
Words: 1816 - Pages: 8
...significant oil and gas producers. Malaysia holds the world’s 28th largest crude oil reserves with proven oil reserves of 4 billion barrels. Malaysia is also the world’s 13th largest natural gas reserves with a 33 capacity of 2400 billion cubic meters. Regarding to this, the development of oil and gas industry in Malaysia bring some impact to us. Mining in the past few decades in the oil，it brings some effects on economic, social and environment to some developing countries led to a huge problem. As one of the nation's main commodities, oil and gas has a very strong impact on the Malaysian economy. Our Oil and Gas team with its industry professionals and worldwide capabilities is ideally placed to help companies...
Words: 1132 - Pages: 5
