Bringing Down the Price of Oil

When there's negative news from abroad
And the US recovery's flawed,
It precipitates shocks
To oil and stocks
In Chicago, New York & Riyadh.

"Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it." Everybody wants cheaper oil, but it often comes with a cloud over it, bringing lower stock prices along for the ride. On Thursday, the Dow Jones industrials fell 1.96% as negative economic news from Europe and China combined with the announcement of a manufacturing slowdown in the Philadelphia Fed district to cast a pall over US growth prospects. US crude oil prices responded to the weak data by falling to $78.20 a barrel, a new low for the year.