Petrol Malaysia

Obviously, if oil prices have come down due to a production glut, it would not be conscionable for airlines to continue to charge passengers the same price as though the oil glut never happened. The drop in oil prices should be reflected in cheaper transportation and energy costs. Instead, in Malaysia, we find ourselves paying more for electricity bills, thanks to reduced subsidies. So have the costs really come down? Perhaps for airlines and for energy companies. But not for end consumers.

By and large, Malaysia is a prosperous country. But the same may not be true of its 28 million (and counting) citizens. Many of the citizens are not well to do and cannot afford to change cars on a whim and fancy. However, it is clear that driving new cars helps to lower carbon emissions, and newer cars are also known to be more fuel efficient. So why isn't the government of Malaysia helping its citizens to drive new cars? There are, indeed, several ways to help citizens drive new cars. One of these is to lower the import duty for foreign vehicles. (Of course, that might cause a run-in with Proton, which is a local car manufacturer, but it would benefit Proton to be more competitive.) Some of these foreign-made cars can be more fuel efficient (hybrid and electric cars?) than the locally produced cars. Another is to encourage trade-ins through government incentives. ("Trade in your car today! Get a 20% matching grant from the MOT....") And a third is for local producers ...

As the title of this post suggests, we require Metro-style railway systems in other major cities of the country. In many major cities outside Kuala Lumpur, many places are not reachable directly through public railway. We have to emulate the Metro subway in the major cities of the world - which link every nook and cranny of the city. Therefore, it is important that the Transport Ministry and the Public Works ministry of this country to make a real effort to create railway systems in other cities (other than Kuala Lumpur) which link all corners of those cities. KL Sentral may serve as a model for future development. However, KL Sentral only links the KTM, the Rapid railway, and the high-speed railway to the airport. It would be more effective for commuters if there were more links between cities through alternate railway lines. In any case, the railway system which links major parts of the nation's capital means that Kuala Lumpur is well placed to cater to the needs of ...

On CIMB's website, there is a link to an educational website known as "Futures Fundamentals", run by CME Group. While I may not know much about the group, I found that this video, "The Story of Oil", is quite good. It comes from an article, "Gas Prices Explained." Aside from this nice video about oil, there's also a cool infographic about how oil prices are affected. It deals with the different stages of oil production, namely: Extraction Transportation Exchange Refinement Gas Station These are quite new to me, but no doubt, they are nothing new to those in the oil and gas industry. Maybe some of you kind souls out there can point me in the right direction so that I can understand more about each stage. Oil is such an important thing, many of our industries rely on it: logistics, industry, energy, plastics, etc. I found it interesting that the website, "Futures Fundamentals", has many articles on futures. While I don...

In New York, Sandra Steingraber, who is with New Yorkers Against Fracking, claimed that the state's ban against fracking is not a loss for women. She claimed that 95% of the jobs created in the fracking industry are for men, while the leftover 5% of jobs for women are only for hotel maid and prostitution. What is Fracking. "Fracking" is the popular name for hydraulic fracturing, a process through which natural gas is extracted by pumping high-pressure water into layers of stone, which breaks up the stone and releases the natural gas. Controversy. In December 2014, the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, announced his decision to ban fracking in the state after considering representations from environmental experts. "I cannot support high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the great state of New York", he said. "I think it’s our responsibility to develop an alternative … for safe, clean economic development." In actual fact, there had been a morato...

Kris Wiluan, one of Indonesia's 40 richest people. Picture taken from Forbes.com Kris Wiluan is a business magnate, and one of the top 40 richest people in Indonesia. He also happens to be a giant in the energy industry. His story may be seen as a series of lucky breaks, combined with his natural charm. In the 1960s, his parents sent him to Germany to study, but he turned up in England by mistake. His uncles convinced his parents that English was more practical, and so they allowed him to study in England. While studying in university there, he met his British wife. After graduating he became a programmer for Guest, Keen and Nettlefold, now GKN. Later, in 1976, he was offered to work for United Motor Works. A year later he began his own business. He began his business modestly, catering food and supplies to oil rigs, including videos and other entertainment. In an interview with the Telegraph, he describes his big break: One day, while transporting equipment for Dupont fr...

America's Richest Oil Tycoons. Source: http://money.cnn.com/infographic/luxury/americas-richest-oil-tycoons/index.html Today, I was surprised to find out that there are big oil tycoons in the USA. The no.1 and no. 2 spots in the USA are taken by David Koch and Charles Koch, two brothers. Together, the two brothers are worth USD89.7 billion, which is about RM332.28 billion. That's a lot of money, and almost 7 times the net worth of George Kaiser, who is the third richest oil tycoon in America. Their immense wealth comes from Koch Industries, Inc., originally an oil refinery which was co-founded by their father, Fred Chase Koch, in 1940. It was originally called the Wood River Oil and Refining Company. According to Wikipedia, Koch Industries Inc. is the second-largest privately held firm in America. Fred Chase Koch, the senior patriarch, had four sons: Frederick, Charles, David, and William (Bill). David and Bill are twins, but Bill was born 19 minutes later. I...