...acknowledged that this dearth has allowed the industry to enjoy phenomenal profits these days. L. Bruce Lanni, a senior oil analyst at A.G. Edwards in San Francisco, estimates that refining margins are more than double what they were a year...

...Unfortunately, the build in supplies doesn't appear to be enough to break the back of $50 oil," said John Kilduff, senior oil analyst at Fimat USA in New York. Indeed, the latest spurt in prices has been pinned on longer-than-expected production...

...Hurricane Ivan and geopolitical unrest keeps traders on edge. "The Ivan damage is persisting," said John Kilduff, senior oil analyst at Fimat USA in New York. The United States has lost more than 11 million barrels of oil production in the past...

...supply system and is well below the 10-year average of 5.0 million barrels per day," notes A.G. Edwards senior oil analyst L. Bruce Lanni. And it helps to explain why this week's attempt by Saudi Arabia to calm markets was ineffective...