THERE was important news from the floor of the commodities exchange in the United States in the middle of February this year. Barclays Capital and the Bank of America told their customers to be on their guard for movements in world oil prices. It has been predicted that the price of black gold will climb to US$100 per barrel at the end of 2010, up 17 percent from the current price of US$82 per barrel. “Next year, it will climb further, up to US