As part of its Energy 
and Financial Markets Initiative, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released today a web-based assessment of key factors that can influence oil markets. Energy and Financial Markets: What Drives Crude Oil Prices? covers the period from 2000 to the present and includes forecasts through 2012 from EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook.
"EIA’s traditional coverage of physical fundamentals such as energy consumption, production, inventories, spare capacity and geopolitical risks continues to be essential," said EIA Administrator Richard Newell. "This new work builds on that foundation, and adds information and assessments of other influences, such as futures market trading activity, commodity investment, exchange rates, and equity markets as EIA seeks to fully examine energy price movements."
Chart data in the new web-based product will be updated monthly and quarterly. Each section of the product also includes a feedback form inviting users to email EIA their comments and insights.
Energy and Financial Markets: What Drives Crude Oil Prices? can be found at:
www.eia.gov/finance/markets
