Top 5 Global Oil Stocks by Market Cap
Oil has long been, arguably, the most popular commodity on the market, as investors and traders alike look to hop in on the fossil fuel. Though most people simply think of gasoline when they hear the term crude oil, this commodity is actually a vital part of our everyday lives. As a result, companies that are involved in the exploration, production, and selling of crude oil also play a critical role in the market. For those who have a bullish outlook on oil prices and the oil industry, we outline five of the biggest oil companies by market cap [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
5 Worst-Performing Commodities In 2012
There are three primary determinants of commodity prices: supply, demand and sentiment. In the near term, if supply exceeds consumption, commodity prices tend to fall. Sentiment, or the opinion of traders that either look to hedge commodity prices to try and smooth out production costs or speculate for profit, is another important indicator that is much more difficult to gauge. For the most part, excess supply conditions are driving prices of the below commodities lower. They happen to be the worst performers so far this year, which could be due in good part to negative sentiment because in a number of cases the price is well below what the fundamentals appear to support [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
Major Countries Burn Up Crude Reserves: Big Oil In Trouble?
It is something that peak oil advocates have been warning us for a long time; our world using up our last reserves of oil. While the day that the last drip of crude is burned up is a long ways out, some parts of the world may be heading for a major pinch in production. As our world population continues to expand, with the total predicted to hit nine billion by 2050, our addiction to crude only increases, as we use oil for a wide number of things in our daily lives. Besides its most dominant use as a fuel for automobiles and the like, oil is also used in a number of other processes like the production of plastics and variety of other industrial outputs [see also Ultimate Guide To RBOB Gasoline Investing].