While this year’s relative stability in crude oil prices appears to have lulled us into a false sense of security, the dramatic fall over the last few weeks reminds us just how volatile these prices can be. The chart below highlights the movements in the USD price of Brent crude over the period from January 1980 to mid-December this year. The rapid growth in crude oil prices over the period from 2007 to 2008 gave us some insight as to just how quickly crude oil prices could rise. The fall in late 2008 associated with the global financial crisis and the more recent plunge in crude prices show us how quickly crude oil ... (full story)