The oil business has never been truly a market, where prices are
determined by simple supply and demand. Instead it is distorted by long
lead times, a producer cartel, subsidies and a lack of true
alternatives. Jonathan Lamb argues that this is all changing. Fracking
has provided a resource with unparalleled flexibility, subsidies are in
retreat, natural gas is conquering all, while the price gyrations of the
past decade have forced an industry focus on costs and technology. The
threat of alternatives is forcing the pace of efficiency and the threat
of peak demand has changed the way that resource holders view the
business. Oil prices are driven more by market forces than ever before,
making high prices unsustainable, potentially good news for consumers,
if not the planet.