Drop in fuel prices tied to election time?

Question

I think the recent drop in gas prices are tied into the upcoming elections. I noticed the same thing happening during the last one. There were alligations of the current officials in power not keeping a lid on fuel prices, while oil brought in record profits. As the elections got closer, so did the prices fall. Any comments?

Thanks, everyone. I was trying to ellicit a response from both sides and i did that.

Answer 1

It's obvious as hell that consumers are being manipulated because big oil feels (correctly I think) that consumers/voters are so easily bought and so forgetful that the mere (temporary) lowering of fuel prices is enough for them to keep their political and business interests safe by maintaining the status quo of a Republican dominated US goverment.

Basically it's a lot of manipulated bullshit from a bunch of people who could care less about anyone but theirselves and think of the masses with great contempt, and a lot of people love the taste of bullshit in the USA if the last six years are any indication.

Enjoy the cheaper fuel while it lasts, because after the elections and the new year...up it will slowly go again for more profit$$$$$$$$$$$ by next Spring.

BTW...

G.O.P. also stands for "Grand Oil Party" in case you haven't noticed by now.

Answer 2

Fuel prices go up and down based on what crude oil is traded for on the global market, based on what the future supply and demand will be for it. The U.S. elections have nothing to do with it, other than timing. The campaign season start up right after Labor Day, which is also the time that the summer travel season ends, so demand goes down. The elections occur in November, which is the time when the home heating season start going, and demand increases. To say that the U.S. election have an impact on the global fuel prices is a very myopic point of view.

And as for the record profits go, since when did "profit" become a 4-letter word? All you hear about is the "record profits". Why don't you ever hear about the "record expenses" the oil companies spend? Because it doesn't fit into the conspiracy theory that the media wants you to believe. Look at the profit margins for the oil companies, and you will see that there have been virtually no change since the prices started rising, and since they started falling. If the oil companies were artificially inflating the prices, the profit margins would have shown it.

Answer 3

Well I guess I will have to play devil's advocate and just give an alternate opinion. First of all, if you have taken any economics classes, the price of everything in a free market is driven by supply and demand. Secondly the oil companies have no control over oil prices they are set by futures options traders who speculate on what the price may be in the future. I am sure the oil companies did not mind the run up in price but it takes an enormous amount of money to build pipelines, maintain pipelines, maintain refineries, explore for oil, drill for oil, and bring the finished product to the consumer. If you think it is a coincidence that the oil prices dropped during the last election there is a very good reason for that and that is we are entering the fall season and the consumption of oil drops from the highs of the summer thus the price drops. As for the allegations of the current officials not keeping a lid on fuel prices the reason is they have no power or authority to do so and neither should they. We live in the best country in the world and the free market allows entrepreneurs the ability to develop new and cheaper products for the consumer without government intervention.

Answer 4

Of course the drop in oil prices is an attempt by Big Oil to influence the elections. It's so obvious. Every year at this time the big oil companies start producing heating oil and always blame that for high prices. This year we haven't heard that argument. Come the day after the mid-term elections gasoline prices will begin to rise again. Big OIl wants the right wing Republican conservatives in power.

Answer 5

I stay in the Netherlands, the place there's a very sturdy public delivery device. the place the cost of using a automobile is plenty greater than utilising the practice (which incorporates tax on the automobile, coverage and the intense fee of petrol/gasoline we've had for years.) purely immediately the information on the radio mentioned that people nonetheless use the automobile extra often than they did in the previous, who prefer to stand in the site visitors jams above transferring in a practice. nonetheless the trains are crammed to means, and anytime a lot of people settle directly to take the practice (marketing campaign that did artwork) the railways have issues. there is now an attempt to place extra tracks on all significant railroads, yet that does take years and while people have been given used topersistent their automobile to artwork, they don't often substitute back to public delivery back. What works maximum suitable is that each one scholars get a card letting them use the practice for loose, the two on weekdays in the event that they stay an prolonged way from the college, or in the weekends in the event that they stay close to their colleges, so as that they might shuttle 'homestead' in the weekends. the scholars who've discovered to apply the practice do not want to stand in the site visitors jams as plenty. i exploit neither practice nor automobile, i exploit my bicycle to flow to artwork. (yet not having a using license makes the alternative elementary when I labored further from homestead.)

Answer 6

And look for them to drop even further so they can keep the oil party, er, I mean the republicans in power.

Answer 7

Yes I think so