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We Needed Higher Oil Prices episode artwork

Oct 26, 2026

We Needed Higher Oil Prices

from Mises Media Hosted by Mark Thornton

On this episode of Minor Issues, Mark Thornton makes the counterintuitive case that higher oil prices early in the Persian Gulf conflict might have reduced the economic damage. He explains how government intervention and the release of strategic oil reserves distort market signals, discourage production and conservation, and leave the global energy market increasingly vulnerable to future disruptions. See also the "Crude Oil Prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI)" chart at https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DCOILWTICO 2026 is the Year of Rothbard—Murray's 100th birthday—and we're celebrating by giving away free copies of Wall Street, Banks, and American Foreign Policy through October 31. Grab yours today at https://mises.org/issuesfree 20% off listener offer on the insulated Minor Issues tumbler and three of Mark's books: https://mises.org/MinorIssuesTumbler. Be sure to follow Minor Issues at https://Mises.org/MinorIssues

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We Needed Higher Oil Prices

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