Of course somebody is making a nice buck - I don't doubt that. But then again, it is not a single person or entity which controls prices. There are several producers and several consumers, so I think the law of supply and demand would indeed be operative.

Then of course, on the other hand, there is always the possibility of a secret conspiracy.

I don't doubt that governments, and perhaps some more secret groups, try to influence not only petroleum prices but also lots of other things of the World situation. But, I don't think that there is any single group that controls absolutely everything, and I sort of suspect that things have gone sort of out of control, even for the most powerful governments.

>Hilmar,
>
>So you think it's out of control.
>
>But then why would prices go up UNLESS someone is making a nice buck on this?
>
>Someone *IS* making a nice buck! And it looks like it's the same person who sets the price. When you have a captive market - which is where things are now with oil - people HAVE TO BUY. The law of supply and demand is not operative in such cases, but it's awfully handy to make it look like it is the cause.
>
>something definitely stinks. I still guess it comes down to WHO is setting the price and what THEY get out of the price.
>
>Jim