Article: Hike could take oil up to $50 a barrel by summer; Market eye; The combination of a rise in oil prices coupled with an increase in diesel duty could take us back to the protest chaos of 2000, argues Ian Fraser

OIL prices are set to soar as high as $50 a barrel this summer owing to a tight US petrol market, the continuing instability in the Middle East and higher demand for oil as China industrialises its economy, according to analysts at Barclays Capital, the investment banking arm of Barclays.

The oil-price trajectory will almost certainly continue its upward path due to greed-induced futures trading among energy speculators and Opec's self-imposed production constraints.

The surge in global oil prices, coupled with the 1.9p per litre hike in diesel duty that is being planned by Chancellor Gordon Brown for September 1, is likely to prompt a rerun of the fuel protests that brought the UK to a ...

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