My comment was "steadily increasing."
Yes, it was. The funny thing about phrases like 'increasing' or 'staying the same' or 'going down'; the all refer to two points in time where a measurement was taken.
Depending on which points in time you choose, you can quite legitimately claim prices are increasing, decreasing, or just staying the same. Note that these points in time are rarely, if ever, mentioned. Note also that one must justify WHY these two points in time are significant, and any others are NOT significant.
IF you use prices from, say, Apr 2020 and today, then you are correct. Oil prices have radically increased, both futures and spot prices.
IF you use prices from, say, May 1980 and today, then you are incorrect. Oil prices today are less than $141/barrel.
IF you use prices from, say, May 1980 and June 2008, then you are correct. Oil prices have radically increased.
Walt is wrong, as usual. And on several points:
* Peak oil prices are NOT $141/barrel (May 1980 price), but $164.90, which appeared in Jul 2008 (after Democrats passed laws to reduce oil production in the U.S.).
* Walt carefully cherry picks points in time favorable to his argument, and without justifying those two points in time or even mentioning them. It's like saying temperatures are dropping and we are headed to a future of freezing temperatures simply because night time temperatures are lower than the day time temperatures.
EVERYONE is making guesses (speculating) about future oil prices. This is guessing. It is nothing more.
I can, however, be somewhat 'educated' guessing. Several factors can be considered here:
* the government's ongoing drive to force people into 'green energy' (which is to say solar and wind, the most expensive methods of generating electricity by far).
* the government's ongoing drive to force people into electric vehicles (which is to say expensive vehicles, with limited range, limited payload, and long charging times).
* Biden draining strategic oil reserves (which can only go on for so long).
* the continued effects of the economic depression.
* the Fed inflating dollars as fast as it can, which it is still doing.
* the Fed increasing interest rates, slowing the economy even further.
* the costs of shipping product overseas, such as importing oil to the United States.
* political environment, such as retaliations for acts by Russia, China, Europe, and the United States (which may involve wars, internal strife, civil wars, etc).
* political interference, such as taxes, restrictions, and market manipulation (fascism).
I've noticed that these factors get mentioned, but they are only factors as everyone here is speculating on future prices of oil or gasoline.
Did Biden have an effect? Yes. His restrictions reduced domestic oil production. His dumping strategic oil reserves is attempting to directly manipulate prices. BOTH acts are acts of fascism, which is government manipulation of markets.
Is Biden the only factor? No. Not by a long shot. The world is much bigger than this twit.