Mientras los más altos dirigentes del PP se dan feroces dentelladas en público, y los barones socialistas se disputan los despojos de las financiaciones regionales, nadie le explica al modesto consumidor de gasolina como la subida del precio del petróleo recorta su presupuesto mensual.

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Cuando se temen para el barril del petróleo precios de 150 y hasta 200 dólares, esa amenaza bien real ya afecta a las compañías aéreas y al consumo y movilidad de las familias en los países más dependientes, como es el caso de España.

The price of oil rose above $135 a barrel for the first time on Thursday, driven by an unexpected fall in US stocks of crude and reinforced by a surge in Chinese demand for diesel.
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Longer-term oil prices have been rising even faster than short-term prices, influenced by predictions from Arjun Murti, the influential Goldman Sachs analyst, that prices could surge to $200 a barrel in the next two years.
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There have been further signs this week that high oil prices will choke off demand in the US and Europe.
On Wednesday Gerard Arpey, chief executive of American Airlines announced plans to cut flights and jobs, and said the rest of the industry should take similar actions.
“The airline industry as it is constituted today was not built to withstand oil prices at $125 a barrel, and certainly not when record fuel expenses are coupled with a weak US economy,” he said. “Our company and industry simply cannot afford to sit by hoping for industry and market conditions to improve.”
Philippe Calavia, chief financial officer of Air France-KLM, said on Thursday: “For airlines that are fragile and that don’t have a fuel hedging policy, their future is compromised… We see a strong downsizing trend in the industry, and there’s a real risk that capacity will contract.”
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There are also signs that US petrol prices – now averaging $3.61 a gallon – and the economic downturn are deterring people from driving. [Financial Times, 22 mayo 08. Ed Crooks. Fall in US crude stocks sends oil to $135].

Las negritas son mías.

• Economía en este Infierno.