US Airways stock at $4.44 a share.

[28L_or_10R?]

Ali Veshi at CNN was talking about a price manipulation investigation with "dark markets" Markets that are not monitored by regulators. Enron false pricing if you will. THe day after the investigation is announced, the prices drop. Goerge Soros also quoted that these increases are speculator induced. It's a bubble folks.

Any one with links to stories like this, please post.

Here is the story that you inquired about:

(CNN) -- Federal regulators investigating possible price manipulation of crude oil are probably looking at what role collapsed energy giant Enron may have played, a former government official said Friday.
art.gas.pump.gi.jpg

On "American Morning," Michael Greenberger, who once led the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Division of Trading & Markets, said, "almost certainly, what they're looking at is as a result of Enron pushing for having energy futures contracts being done outside of the United States' regulatory purview.

"There is a theory that has gained momentum among economists and market observers that the price of crude oil is being driven up not by supply/demand principles in whole but by speculators who are using what are called dark markets, markets that can't be watched by the public or regulators, to manipulate the price of crude oil and, therefore, gasoline and heating oil in an upward direction," he said.

He added, "It would be as if you said you could trade stocks on the New York Stock Exchange, but you could also trade stocks somewhere where the Securities [and] Exchange Commission had no idea what was going on, and at the behest of Enron in late 2000 in a lame-duck Congress, this kind of unregulated trading was permitted."

The Texas-based Enron collapsed in 2001 after revelations of fraudulent accounting practices. Several former executives were convicted and sentenced to prison terms on charges relating to the accounting scheme. The fall of the company cost 4,000 employees their jobs and many of them their life savings, and the collapse led to billions of dollars of losses for investors.

Greenberger is now director of the University of Maryland's Center for Health and Homeland Security.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Thursday that it is six months into a nationwide crude oil investigation, with a focus on possible price manipulation. The commission said it is publicizing the investigation because of "unprecedented market conditions."

"In addition to the CFTC's ongoing examination of the role of fundamental economic forces and new investors in the recent commodity market price increases, the agency continues to pursue one of its primary missions -- to 'deter, detect, and punish futures market manipulation,' " according to a written statement from the commission.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, said on CNN's "Issue No. 1" Friday that she and other lawmakers sent a letter last week to the commission, pressing them to take action.

"There is more regulation on hamburger in America, trading on the futures cattle market, than there is oil, and yet oil is critical to our U.S. economy," she said.

 

[4merresrat]

Yeah, I guess I would answer you like I answer the wounded from Dick and George's marvelous adventure, enjoy life, whatever is left to you from the overseer's. To someone who is so wounded they cannot even use english to reply, I am sorry for you. Like the maniac in 9c, laugh away and thank the USA and my fallen friends for allowing you to speak without fear of retribution. Have a good night, our little ignorant thing.

Sharkie, thanks again for the laugh. . . you are crackin me up (intentional or not!).

 

[sharktooth]

Sharkie, thanks again for the laugh. . . you are crackin me up (intentional or not!).

rat,
You are welcome. I guess if you cannot understand what is going on, laughter would be one way to handle it.

 

[PITbull]

I'm predicting a VERY ACTIVE trading week(come Monday morning), and what that means for the different airlines(one way or another) remains to be seen.

Oil been down/somewhat quiet last week,.........BUT if it starts ANOTHER climb(heading towards $150) I think we'll see rather quickly, "Who" is heading "where".

No one should be buying and airline stock. This has been a bad industry to invest in since 1999. There are too many unpredictable variables in the equation that can not be controled, oil is one of them, weather cancellation issues, labor, and they are not shielded in anyway from the affects of recession. Oil will climb to $150, and the only airline that maybe shielded from the effect for this year going into next is LUV. They are hedged at $58 for oil all this year and about 30% of oil for 2009.

I can't see anyone partnering a merger with LCC. In my crystal ball, unfortunatelly, I see huge lay offs within 6 months industry wide.

The airlines have just got to raise ticket prices...there is no other alternative. Otherwise, we may not have an air transportation system left.

You can't stay in business by losing money!

 

[kicked2curb]

It seems like you are blinded (like many of your co-workers) by, I don't know what, hate, fear, anger? There is accountability on many levels. Do you know these men personally? I venture the answer is no. So how do you know that they don't give a passing thought regarding how their actions affect employees?

The fear, hate & anger you are refering to are components of senior management's mentality and lets include the impetus for their posturing, GREED. One does not need to know them personally to realize what their intentions are, their actions speak volumes.

 

[flybynite]

Little up spike in the stock today. 😀

 

[flybynite]

Our stock is up again today as well as everyone else's because the price per barrel of oil has dropped to a 3 week low.

That's good news for everyone.