Gail Tverberg is a writer and speaker about energy issues. She is especially known for her work with financial issues associated with peak oil. Prior to getting involved with energy issues, Ms. Tverberg worked as an actuarial consultant. This work involved performing insurance-related analyses and forecasts. Her personal blog is ourfiniteworld.com. She is also an editor of The Oil Drum.
Oil production can be confusing because there are various “pieces” that may or may not be included. In this analysis, I look at oil production…
Economic growth never seems to be as high as those making forecasts would like it to be. This is a record of recent forecasts by…
We have been living in a world of rapid globalization, but this is not a condition that we can expect to continue indefinitely.Figure 1. Ratio…
What is ahead for 2016? Most people don’t realize how tightly the following are linked: 1. Growth in debt2. Growth in the economy3. Growth in…
A person often reads that low oil prices–for example, $30 per barrel oil prices–will stimulate the economy, and the economy will soon bounce back. What…
The traditional understanding of supply and demand works in some limited cases–will a manufacturer make red dresses or blue dresses? The manufacturer’s choice doesn’t make…
Most people believe that low oil prices are good for the United States, since the discretionary income of consumers will rise. There is the added…
Usually, we don’t stop to think about how the whole economy works together. A major reason is that we have been lacking data to see…
Both the stock market and oil prices have been plunging. Is this “just another cycle,” or is it something much worse? I think it is…
We all know generally how today’s economy works:Figure 1 Our economy is a networked system. I have illustrated it as being similar to a child’s…
Why are commodity prices, including oil prices, lagging? Ultimately, the question comes back to, “Why isn’t the world economy making very many of the end…
Some people talk about peak energy (or oil) supply. They expect high prices and more demand than supply. Other people talk about energy demand hitting…
When forecasting how much oil will be available in future years, a standard approach seems to be the following:1. Figure out how much GDP growth…
The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article called, Glut of Capital and Labor Challenge Policy Makers: Global oversupply extends beyond commodities, elevating deflation risk.…
What is the real story of energy and the economy? We hear two predominant energy stories. One is the story economists tell: The economy can…
For a long time, there has been a belief that the decline in oil supply will come by way of high oil prices. Demand will…
Many readers have asked me to explain debt. They also wonder, “Why can’t we just cancel debt and start over?” if we are reaching oil…
In Part 1 of this series, I talked about why cheap fuels act to create economic growth. In this post, we will look at some…
How does the economy really work? In my view, there are many erroneous theories in published literature. I have been investigating this topic and have…
The price of oil is down. How should we expect the economy to perform in 2015 and 2016? Newspapers in the United States seem to…