In an anticipation of the war in Syria,
the global oil market starts to shiver. A barrel of oil has recently
jumped up to $115, which, according to experts, is not a limit. Some
analysts give quite gloomy forecasts. They authoritatively declare that
the world is standing on the verge of gasoline apocalypse.
In the Russian part of the Internet,
there is a very popular forecast from U.S. expert Brandon Smith, who
considers Syria a spring board for apocalypse that has been planned by
the US establishment. His list of 20 looming, pretty grim events,
includes those associated with the cost of oil.
According to Smith, in response to U.S.
actions against Syria, Iran can close the Strait of Hormuz by sinking
several cargo ships at its narrowest point. Such an act would
immediately cut the volume of oil transportation by 20 percent. At the
same time, the Egyptian Suez Canal will become highly dangerous to
navigation too. Oil tankers will thus have to go around the Horn of
Africa, increasing the length of the route by two weeks and
significantly raising the cost of transportation.
The inevitable export of instability,
the experts believes, will trigger a social conflict in Saudi Arabia. As
a result, prices on gasoline will increase significantly. Smith
predicts a rise in 75-100 percent during two or three months after any
type of attack on Syria.
Sounds scary. Brandon Smith is a
professional survivalist. His business is to organize local communities
to create a network of mutual aid and barter across the United States.
Looks very apocalyptic already. Yet, Smith gives his predictions quite
accurately.
Less exalted experts agree with Smith's
arguments, at least partially. Indeed, Syria does not affect the oil
market directly. The peak of oil production in the country was
registered about 15 years ago. Since 2011, the export of hydrocarbons
has been virtually stopped - the country consumes all it makes. To crown
it all, Syria is dangerously close to major oil transportation routes.
The risk for oil transportation routes
explains surging oil prices on stock exchanges. Investkafe analyst
Gregory Brig predicts further growth of quotations of up to 120-125
dollars per barrel. Some economists believe that the price will reach
$150. However, such a rise prices is only possible if the Syrian
conflict escalates into a more substantial one, with the participation
of other countries in the Middle East, and if the Strait of Hormuz is
eventually blocked.
"Syria is not a key player on the oil
market. Rather, the market fears destabilization of the geopolitical
situation in the Middle East. If Syria accounts for about 2/10 of the
world's oil production, the Middle East accounts for 30 percent. Many
are concerned that other countries will be involved in the conflict -
Iran, Egypt and others. Therefore, prices will rise," said the analyst.
Against the background of the current
situation, a rise by 75-100 percent is out of the question, of course.
First and foremost, such rapid growth will kill all possible production
everywhere - the world economy will not survive. Even the current growth
in prices creates serious problems. The majority of experts, recalling
2008, are confident that after a short way up, the oil market will face a
serious pullback. Before the crisis of 2008, a barrel of oils cost
$147.3, but by the end of the year the price dropped to $35.
Nowadays, experts say, prices will most
likely return to the level of one hundred dollars. Despite the version
of giant oil reserves found in Syria (about 37 billion tons), which
could derail the prices, it most likely goes about shale oil deposits on
the shelf. In addition, the Syrian oil is classified as heavy
hydrocarbons (like the Russian Urals). Who would want to arrange a small
victorious war to get such dubious benefits? The game is not worth the
candle, because these huge reserves would have little effect on reducing
the cost of oil.
Anyway, as history shows, the actions of
the United States in oil-rich regions only lead to complications. This
was the case in Libya, where the richest deposit on the African
continent is located. A member of Libya's Parliamentary Committee on
Energy, Sliman Kajam said that the official production of black gold
dropped to 150,000 barrels a day. Prior to the "democratization" of
Libya, the daily production was evaluated at 1.5 - 1.7 million barrels a
day.
In addition, the level of oil production
in such countries as Saudi Arabia and Iraq are getting closer to their
peak. In general, the current level of hydrocarbon prices adequately
reflects the balance of supplies and production.
Higher oil prices will certainly bring
more profit to Russia, but this money will be soaked in the blood of
many Syrian citizens. According to many experts, the aggravation of the
situation in Syria will make investors move their capitals from emerging
markets to developed ones. The losses from the fall of the Russian
stock market will outweigh benefits of the rising cost of oil.
Meanwhile, the head of the Duma
Committee on Economic Policy, Igor Rudensky, told Pravda.Ru that the
situation in Syria would hopefully be resolved peacefully. "Even if
something happens, I do not think it will affect the global world oil
market. Oil prices having been going up and down during the last five or
six years. International events have their influence on the oil market,
of course. If the European economy starts growing, for instance, the
demand starts growing too, and oil prices rise. If the demand is
falling, prices are falling too. Today, any talks about dramatic changes
in oil prices are premature. Overall, the situation is quite stable.
Now you can see what happens. Everyone says at the G20 summit that the
world economy is slowing down, so one needs to look for a way out from
the global crisis together. In my opinion, in the next few years,
nothing extraordinary will happen."
Ilya Nikonov
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