Strangely, the current run-up in prices comes despite sinking demand in the U.S. âPetrol demand is as low as itâs been since April 1997,â says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service. âPeople are properly puzzled by the fact that weâre using less gas than we have in years, yet weâre paying more.â Kloza believes much of the increase is due to speculative money thatâs flowed into gasoline futures contracts since the beginning of the year, mostly from hedge funds and large money managers. âWeâve seen about $11 billion of speculative money come in on the long side of gas futures,â he says. âEach of the last three weeks weâve seen a record net long position being taken.â
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