Well, here’s another insight that I picked up at the by invitation only Stellar Parthenon BBS.

Triutumi pointed me to James Howard Kuntsler, and his explanation makes a lot of sense.

Basically, people who would ordinarily hold oil futures contract are selling them, because they have to answer margin calls on their other investments:

This means especially oil. I hope you’re enjoying the temporarily cheap prices at the gas pumps, because this is purely a function of the compressive deleveraging that is going on right now, as contracts and positions held in energy markets are being dumped by everybody and his uncle to raise cash to meet margin calls.

I’m still digesting his web site, but he is a savagely impressive writer.