VOL. XLII

No. 32

9-August-1999

GENERAL

Market Factors Not Price "Dumping" An AnalysisOf The 1998 Oil Price Collapse

The following is the text of a report on the 1998 oil pricecollapse (dated August 1999) prepared by the New York-based Petroleum IndustryResearch Foundation Inc. (PIRINC).

Introduction

1998 witnessed an unprecedented collapse in internationaloil prices. Since the factors that led to the decline were largelyunanticipated, no producer or service company was able to escape the pain....