Like any sun-drenched beach paradise, Longboat Key offers water sports, biking and tennis, but the best way to enjoy the island may be by doing nothing at all.
Oil prices zoomed back above $104 a barrel Friday as hope grew on Wall Street that a government bailout could help ease the credit crisis putting a stranglehold on the U.S. economy.
Gas prices fell for the first time in nine days after two powerful hurricanes entered the Gulf of Mexico and smashed through the heart of the nation's oil infrastructure, but questions lingered about when production would be restored.
Congress will attempt to pass a key energy bill this week, testing its ability to deliver on a promise of action on oil as the Sept. 26 deadline edges closer.
Oil prices fell to a 5 1/2 month low Thursday, testing the $100-a-barrel mark, as the market remained focused on slumping demand and the stronger dollar while watching the threat Hurricane Ike poses to the Texas Gulf Coast.
Oil prices fell Tuesday, as investors believed OPEC will keep production at current levels, and as Hurricane Ike lost strength over Cuba.
Oil prices fell Thursday as investors weighed signs of weakening demand against a government report showing a surprise drop in the nation's supplies of crude.
As oil companies sent crews back to their rigs to perform in-depth safety checks some operations see production beginning to come online as early as Wednesday.
As officials evacuated New Orleans, the oil industry shut down rigs and pulled back personnel as Hurricane Gustav bore down on the Gulf Coast over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Gas prices continue to rise in states along the Gulf of Mexico as workers on offshore oil rigs abandon ship and residents flee their homes ahead of Hurricane Gustav.
Like any sun-drenched beach paradise, Longboat Key offers water sports, biking and tennis, but the best way to enjoy the island may be by doing nothing at all.
Oil prices zoomed back above $104 a barrel Friday as hope grew on Wall Street that a government bailout could help ease the credit crisis putting a stranglehold on the U.S. economy.
Gas prices fell for the first time in nine days after two powerful hurricanes entered the Gulf of Mexico and smashed through the heart of the nation's oil infrastructure, but questions lingered about when production would be restored.
Congress will attempt to pass a key energy bill this week, testing its ability to deliver on a promise of action on oil as the Sept. 26 deadline edges closer.
Oil prices fell to a 5 1/2 month low Thursday, testing the $100-a-barrel mark, as the market remained focused on slumping demand and the stronger dollar while watching the threat Hurricane Ike poses to the Texas Gulf Coast.
Oil prices fell Tuesday, as investors believed OPEC will keep production at current levels, and as Hurricane Ike lost strength over Cuba.
Oil prices fell Thursday as investors weighed signs of weakening demand against a government report showing a surprise drop in the nation's supplies of crude.
As oil companies sent crews back to their rigs to perform in-depth safety checks some operations see production beginning to come online as early as Wednesday.
As officials evacuated New Orleans, the oil industry shut down rigs and pulled back personnel as Hurricane Gustav bore down on the Gulf Coast over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Gas prices continue to rise in states along the Gulf of Mexico as workers on offshore oil rigs abandon ship and residents flee their homes ahead of Hurricane Gustav.
Gas prices zoomed higher in states along the Gulf of Mexico as workers on offshore oil rigs abandon ship ahead of Hurricane Gustav which became a category 4 storm on Saturday.
The Gulf of Mexico is home to 4,000 drilling platforms and 33,000 miles of pipeline, which send 1.3 million barrels a day to the Gulf Coast's 56 refineries. But a hurricane threatens to deal a powerful blow to the oil-rich region.
Oil prices ended lower Thursday, reversing an early spike, as traders sized up a potentially devastating blow to production from Tropical Storm Gustav and reacted to a decline in natural gas prices.
With Tropical Storm Gustav setting its sights on the Gulf of Mexico, oil facilities in the region are facing their first major threat since 2005, when Hurricanes Rita and Katrina knocked out nearly every barrel of oil production and sent prices soaring to then-record levels.
Stock futures pointed to a strong open on Thursday after the government reported that the second-quarter GDP surged to a surprising annual rate of 3.3%.
Oil prices ended the day higher on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Gustav approached the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil prices pushed higher Tuesday as Hurricane Gustav threatened the oil infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico, but gains were tempered by a stronger U.S. dollar.
Last week, falling oil prices looked unstoppable. The last few days have seen a halt in that slide. Still with prices well below the record set in July and a shaky world economy threatening demand, the question remains: How low can oil go?
Energy companies placed $487.3 million in winning bids for the right to drill in the western Gulf of Mexico, knowing they may get a chance later to explore in other areas that have been off limits for decades
Fisherman Terry Pizani turns his captain's wheel with a mournful expression on his face. Far below, the fishing grounds off the Louisiana coast where the 63-year-old has made a living for five decades have become an aquatic graveyard known as a "dead zone."
Oil prices lost nearly $1 Monday, finishing at its lowest point in more than 3-1/2 months, as concerns about falling demand outweighed a weaker dollar.
Oil prices sank to a near 3-month low Monday as a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico turned to miss oil facilities. Talk of political compromise on further off-shore drilling also weighed on crude prices.
Oil prices sank Friday, settling down more than $5 for the week, after two stronger-than-expected economic reports calmed nervous investors. Lingering concerns over a drop in demand also pressured prices lower.
A "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas-Louisiana coast this year is likely to be the biggest ever and last longer than ever before, with marine life affected for hundreds of miles
Oil prices fell Tuesday, closing at the lowest point since June 5, as a perceived decline in U.S. demand again took hold and worries subsided that a storm would disrupt production in the Gulf of Mexico.
President Bush intensified pressure on Congressional Democrats this weekend to end a 26-year-old offshore drilling moratorium, saying lawmakers have closed off "vast" oil reserves that could be tapped to lower record gasoline prices.
Oil prices rebounded strongly Monday, following the largest four-day slide in trading history, as investors focused on a break down of negotiations with Iran, as well as Tropical Storm Dolly, which is making its way into the Gulf of Mexico.
This was, to be honest, simply a different kind of journalism. I've never done anything quite like it.
Oil prices touched another record Wednesday, spiking after an initial decline on a government report that said crude and gasoline supplies were stronger than expected last week.
It's thousands of square miles wide, virtually devoid of oxygen and it has been blamed for an increase in shark attacks: the Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone" is getting bigger and forcing marine life -- including sharks - into shore.
Under the glow of a southwest Florida sun, sleek sailboats dance on turquoise seas. With every gentle lapping of the warm blue water on Captiva, a whispered tinkling sound settles around your bare feet. It's the murmur of the Gulf of Mexico tumbling pink, orange, red, gray and blue shells on the ivory sand.
Waterways are critical for cleansing the land of polluting runoff, but an excess of crop growth -- particularly biofuel crops -- could dangerously clog our rivers and streams
At least 18 oil workers were killed and seven more were missing after a portable drilling rig crashed into an oil platform during stormy seas in the Gulf of Mexico, the country's state-owned oil company said Wednesday.
A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico was nearing tropical storm strength and a storm in the Atlantic neared hurricane strength late Wednesday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported.
Oil prices rose in Asian trade Wednesday, gaining back a small portion of losses the last three sessions that were driven by easing supply concerns.
Energy futures fell Monday after a tropical depression that moved through the Gulf of Mexico late last week turned out to be a dud.
Oil prices fell Friday as investors sold to lock in profits, but analysts doubt oil's record-breaking run is over and say gasoline prices are about to start following oil higher.
Oil prices hit a fresh intraday record high Wednesday, passing $80 a barrel for the first time ever, after the government said supplies of crude oil fell far more than expected.
Energy futures ended higher Wednesday after a choppy day in which traders balanced concerns about hurricanes against worries concerning the economy's strength. Prices drew support from expectations that Thursday's petroleum inventory report will show declines in crude oil and gasoline supplies.
Oil futures rose Monday as traders eyed potentially destructive storms that could hit the Gulf of Mexico region.
So a little storm swirled off the Texas coast Wednesday, and oil traders got all excited.
Oil prices jumped Friday after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate to calm financial markets and on concerns Hurricane Dean could hit Gulf of Mexico installations.
Oil fell Monday after forecasts showed Hurricane Dean was unlikely to plough through production and refining centers in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil prices fell sharply Thursday as credit and economic growth concerns pressured global stock markets, while oil traders assessed the storm threat to Gulf of Mexico oil operations after storm Erin was downgraded to a tropical depression.
Oil prices rose Wednesday as a tropical storm swirled in the Gulf of Mexico and the government reported that supplies of crude oil had fallen far more than expected.
Despite oil's record high last week, forget about crude going to $100 a barrel.
Wildfires, waterspouts and a new set of world wonders made the headlines this week, and you participated in the coverage of these events by sending in your photos and video and showing us how you see the news.
The following shares were among the most actively traded Monday:
At the end of August 2005 Hurricane Katrina swept up through the Gulf of Mexico battering the coastline of the southern United States.
The U.S. Interior Department abandoned claims that the oil giant Chevron underpaid the government for natural gas produced in the Gulf of Mexico, which could pave the way for other energy firms from paying royalties to the government, according to a report published Tuesday.
The recent discovery of a massive oilfield under the Gulf of Mexico appears to be a godsend for our crude-hungry country. It's not that simple, however. The new deep-water find is a pointed example...
Four government auditors who monitor leases for oil and gas on federal property charge the Interior Department suppressed their efforts to recover millions of dollars from companies they said cheated the government, according to a published report.
Ernesto was downgraded Monday and looks as though it's headed away from the most vulnerable part of the Gulf Coast. The price of oil pulled back almost $2 a barrel as a result.
U.S. stocks pulled back at the start of trading Friday as oil rose on concern about a possible storm in the Gulf of Mexico.
The swampland of coastal Louisiana, often thought of as a folkloric backwater, is in fact the nation's most important petrochemical complex: an archipelago of some 4,000 oil and gas platforms.
With oil prices hovering near record levels, you would think energy investors would be all smiles. But shareholders of oil and gas producer Apache, one of the stocks we recommended from our 100 Fas...
Oil rigs are leaving the Gulf of Mexico in record numbers, threatening to put upward pressure on U.S. oil and natural gas prices, according to a report published Wednesday.
The last time we recommended a group of energy stocks - 17 months ago - the price of crude had fallen to $42 a barrel from a recent peak of $55 (see "Three Ways to Make Money in Energy Stocks").
This was, to be honest, simply a different kind of journalism. I've never done anything quite like it. It was time travel, globe-trekking and fact-checking all rolled into one. It was about oil and our addiction to it, how we keep it flowing and what happens if the supply is interrupted. At every turn, I discovered something new and saw the complexity and the global nature of it all.
Despite record profits, the oil industry is set to skip out on $7 billion in royalty payments it would normally pay for drilling on government land thanks to a '90s era law designed to promote domestic production, according to a report published Tuesday.
The hurricanes of '05 have made clear how important offshore wells in the Gulf of Mexico are to oil production.
Zooming gas prices, plus the usual bad news from the Middle East, naturally raise the question: What else can we do? Quite a lot, actually. And if the price of oil sticks above $40 a barrel, the dy...
Getting off-shore oil and natural gas platforms back in service after two Gulf of Mexico hurricanes is proving difficult, according to a published report Friday.
As many as 1,000 people who did not follow mandatory evacuation orders in one southwestern Louisiana parish may need to be rescued, an emergency management official said Saturday.
Bond prices climbed across the board Wednesday on fears that Hurricane Rita may cause further damage to Gulf of Mexico oil production facilities, along with the lingering effect of the Federal Reserve's decision to raise the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point Tuesday.
Energy markets rallied Monday, with crude futures gaining more than $4 a barrel, as a tropical storm threatened to move into the Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane and OPEC leaders voiced resistance to increasing crude output.
Hurricane storm surges have resulted in limited flooding of the city of New Orleans before. But Hurricane Katrina's winds pushed in a devastating surge of water from the Gulf of Mexico that overwhelmed the city's system of levees built to hold back the surrounding Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain.
Hurricane Katrina will make a "big shift" to the west on its way across the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to reach dangerous Category 4 intensity before making landfall Monday afternoon in Mississippi or Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center said Friday.
A retreat in oil prices from an earlier record high helped stabilize stock futures in early trading Thursday.
As the energy bill moves closer to becoming law, debate is still raging over the first overhaul of national energy policy in a decade.
Hurricane Emily regained strength as it moved toward the Mexican coast Tuesday and was expected to gain strength before a predicted landfall in the northeast Wednesday morning, forecasters said.
Oil prices pulled back from earlier highs Wednesday after a government report showed that distillate inventories had reached higher-than-expected levels in the past week. That overshadowed a higher-than-expected decrease in supplies of U.S. crude and gasoline supplies.
The price of crude oil has risen steadily for a year and continued to surge in the past month, climbing as high as $55 a barrel.
Oil prices closed near the $55-a-barrel mark Wednesday as a fresh fall in U.S. heating oil stocks stoked worries over winter supplies.
Oil prices topped $51 on Tuesday to set another record as a long disruption in the Gulf of Mexico from Hurricane Ivan caused concern about winter heating fuel supplies and set off a round of speculative buying.
U.S. Treasury prices continued their recent downtrend and dipped Tuesday as traders remained wary of the all-important payroll figures scheduled for release at the end of the week.
The Big Easy became The Big Queasy as the usually laid-back party town worried about deadly Hurricane Ivan rumbling north through the Gulf of Mexico toward the U.S. coast.
I can't help but think back to the recent roaring 1990s, when so many smart tech-stock pickers, and technology fund managers told us that energy prices didn't matter -- we had entered a new, information-driven economy that didn't depend on such old-fashioned fundamentals.
Cecelia Bonifay and her husband Greg Presnell always wanted a house on the water where they could indulge their love of fishing and sailing. Now they walk out of their three-story contemporary home...
In the comics, Superman could turn coal into diamonds. Recently the black stuff has been sparkling on its own.
To appreciate America's energy predicament in the post-Sept. 11 world, you don't have to visit the oil fields of Texas and Alaska or journey to East-of-Suez OPEC strongholds like Kuwait and Saudi A...
Tapping into some newly affordable technology, independent drillers are striking pay dirt in picked-over U.S. fields that big oil companies with greater overhead have abandoned. These oil patch out...
Bill Church, 47, has come a long way from the summer job he took as a kid stuffing raisins into Kellogg cereal boxes (and, he allows, his mouth) near his Michigan hometown. Now he is known in busin...
Are oil stocks about to buck the market's malaise and rally? That's the contention of Paine Webber oil analyst Bryan Jacoboski, who just two years ago was known as Bryan the Bear for his downbeat a...
With crude prices rising so fast, oil and gas stocks are going up too. But selecting the best ones is as tricky as predicting the moves of Saddam Hussein. One safe way to cash in on oil now and bui...
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