Hot Topics at OLR: Speculation in Oil Pricing

OLR Report 2011-R-0290 addresses the role speculation plays in oil pricing. The report states that although some financial and public policy analysts blame the volatility in oil pricing on an influx in speculators into oil futures markets, the attorney general has not investigated oil speculation. According to the report, “critics of oil speculation believe that the most significant impact on oil prices stems from legal practices and ‘loopholes’ in federal laws and regulations that are beyond the jurisdiction of state officials.”


For more information, read OLR Report 2011-R-0290.