Well, howdy there, Internet people, it's Bell again.

So today, we're going to talk about how OPEC just told Trump not to drill baby drill.

A very high-stakes international game is shaping up, and it's worth knowing what's happening ahead of time, so it isn't surprising.

Earlier this week, OPEC plus postponed their plan to

increase oil output. Again, by three months. So what does that mean? Oil is a global market.

OPEC plus deciding not to up production means they don't think they can put more oil on the market

without dropping the price.

OPEC countries can produce oil for far less than U.S. producers.

So if the price drop is too much for OPEC, it's definitely too much for U.S. oil producers.

The International Energy Agency is saying demand will actually decrease over the

next year, which means current production will create more supply and drop the prices already anyway.

2024 has seen a lot of stability in the oil markets, but that might change a bit next year. If Trump, for the

sake of a talking point, or just pure spite, or whatever is motivating him that particular day,

decides to push more domestic oil production, it will drop the price, which sounds good

for American consumers. However, if the price drops,

he might trigger a price war with OPEC. That's a war they'll win. Again, they can produce oil

for far less because of lower pay, state control, and more established export routes. So they can flood the market with oil

and maintain a profit by selling below what American producers can. Since oil is a global market,

there's no magical tariff that will help here. And I doubt Trump would want to be seen as keeping

prices on American consumers artificially high,

while the rest of the world enjoys low prices anyway.

Trump's biggest issue when it comes to his promise to drill baby drill is that it would be American producers who actually have to do the drilling.

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