to me, nothing more than speculation run rampant.

The investment class, those people parked in front of a computer thinking themselves this centuries J. P. Getty in waiting, are following the money, just as they did in the 1990's euphoric dot.com market mania.

Since these are the people searching high and low for the return of that ever elusive capitalistic climax; the next double digit return, they will follow the "tips" whenever and wherever they occur.

So what happens?

The people who are essentially the gate keepers, the brokerage house that are now, it seems, operating under de facto protection from the Bernake Fed, are always releasing predictions of where Crude Oil and Natural Gas and other commodities prices will be in the future. By setting what are really targets for the market to hit, the brokerage house send the speculating investors into a frenzy to get in the market before the opportunity burns off.

The same thing happened in the 90's with stock and the early 2000's with real estate.

And these markets, the commodity markets, aren't nearly as regulated as other more traditional investment areas.

They would have us believe that the forces of capitalism are at play, that people are just now becoming aware of "peak" oil. That what is happening is just capitalism setting the real price for a commodity.

And the oil companies are remaining mum. Why not. The longer they remain silent the more likely it is that the US government, facing irate consumers when gas hits $5.00 and beyond, will succumb to the oil giants wishes, drilling in protected wilderness areas and heavy subsidization of building or refitting refineries.

This isn't the invisible hand that Adam Smith talked about when he was defining economic and human behavior back in his Wealth of Nations tome. No this is manipulative speculation disguised as purely market forces at work.

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, shame on me.