Just before the financial crisis of 2008, the price of oil briefly shot up to 140 dollars a barrel, and experts agree that a very high price for oil would definitely unsettle financial markets now.  Unfortunately, it appears to be inevitable that the price of oil will go much higher.  Large financial institutions have become extremely hesitant to fund any projects that would "pollute the environment", and governments around the world have made it extremely difficult for those that produce traditional forms of energy to expand operations.  Globally, there is a major push to bring in "the new green economy", but "the new green economy" cannot provide the energy that we need.  Meanwhile, the demand for energy continues to grow all over the globe on a daily basis.  What this means is that all forms of traditional energy are going to become a lot more expensive.

At this moment, the price of oil is over 80 dollars per barrel, and many are anticipating that it will soon hit 100 dollars per barrel.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin was recently asked about the price of oil, this is how he responded…