For the past two days, I've been driving...

I recently won an auction for a mustang -- a gorgeous strawberry roan we're calling Aesop Rye. I spent all of Wednesday towing all 1,000 pounds of him, plus the 3,500-pound trailer.

The trip was grueling, and we made plenty of pit stops along the way. But surprisingly, one of the things that didn't bother us as much was the price of gas.

Over the past five months -- until late February -- crude oil prices trended higher within the channel drawn in green. Even during the Egyptian uprising, prices stayed within the channel, and actually slid all the way back below $90 a barrel.

Then Libya took center stage. Gadhafi has lost control of key oil infrastructure and as much as 75% of production has been cut.

Oil Market Summary 03/08/2010 to 03/12/2010

Crude oil prices tread water for the week as uncertainty about demand continued to weigh on the market. Prices were down slightly on the week, with the benchmark West Texas Intermediate settling on Friday at $81.24 a barrel, compared with $81.50 a week ago.

After starting the week on a firmer note, oil prices fell sharply toward the end of the week in a general market sell-off as investors sought the dollar as a safe haven amid worries about European Union economies.

Rick Pendergraft says you shouldn’t underestimate the lift that tumbling gas prices can give consumers in 2009. Compared to the $4 a gallon peak in July, drivers will save $162 billion a year at today’s prices. Add that to a boost in confidence from the Presidential changeover, and Rick says a slow recovery could be on the horizon.

Energy prices continue to tumble on recession fears and a US dollar rally. For investors that are long-term bullish on energy markets, this represents a great buying opportunity, says Andrew Snyder. He expects coal producers like Massey (NYSE:MEE), Peabody (NYSE:BTU) and James River Coal (NYSE:JRCC) to see big increases in their valuations in the coming year.

Crude oil is now worth less than half its July value. But as central banks and consumers rejoice, socialist oil-exporters like Russia and Venezuela are in “dire straits”. Justice Litle says desperate times could prompt desperate measures from the firebrand leaders of these countries.