The Oil Market Through the Lens of the Latest Oil Price Cycle: Issues and Proposals

On October 9 2009 the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies held a one-day conference in Oxford on ‘Oil Price Volatility: Causes and Measures of Mitigation Strategies’. The conference focused on three themes: the role of fundamentals and financial factors in explaining the recent sharp swings in oil prices and the marked increase in price volatility; an assessment of the plans and strategies currently pursued to dampen oil price volatility; and the potential measures that could be adopted to mitigate the impact of sharp swings in the oil price on the energy industry. The group of participants included key senior figures from government oil companies the financial industry and academia. The conference was conducted under the Chatham House Rule of non-attribution. This presentation introduced the themes for the day.

By: Bassam Fattouh