The oil barrel reached 80 dollars on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time in history on Wednesday, due to a decline in crude oil inventories in the U.S. and at a time when tropical storms threaten oil facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the oil barrel reached exactly 80 dollars at 8 PM Central European Time. In London, prices climbed to 77.93 dollars per barrel. There, the historical record stands at 78.64 dollars from August 7, 2006.
The new prices emerged after the release of a report from the U.S. Department of Energy, which stated that oil inventories in the U.S. were nine percent lower in the first week of September compared to the end of June. (Hina)
