Today’s chart provides some long-term perspective on the price of a barrel of crude oil with a long-term chart of inflation-adjusted West Texas Intermediate Crude. Today’s chart illustrates that most oil price spikes coincided with Middle East crises and often preceded or coincided with a US recession. The logic behind this is that a Middle East crisis can potentially disrupt an already tight oil supply and thereby drive crude oil prices higher. Also, rising oil / energy prices can, among other things, increase costs within the global economy’s supply / distribution chain and thereby contribute to inflation which can in turn encourage governments to halt or reduce any plans to stimulate the economy. As a result of a slowing global economy as well as increased global oil production, crude oil prices have declined over 20% since early May alone.

This is an excerpt from Chart of the Day as it appeared on June 11, 2012. For updates or to read the current version of this post in its entirety, please click here.

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