California discovers how close it lives to a tipping point when refinery problems combine to create a sudden gas shortage and a spike in prices.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was established to protect the economy from an embargo. But just the threat of releasing oil into the market can rein in speculation in oil futures, too.

The United States has the most crude oil stashed away and ready-to-go of any nation on earth in its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. But you can't see the oil. It's underground in salt domes.

A faster-cooking kitchen range is the incentive for one family to switch to natural gas. But if you hope to save money, that's just the start.

What did in the maker of the ubiquitous red containers? A failure to heed the warning printed on them.

There's news this morning that folks who do the ordering at factories are increasingly wary. The Markit U.S. Purchasing Managers Index was a disappointment, its worst showing since late 2010.

Oil prices are down about 25 percent in the past few weeks. Those falling oil prices are good for our pocketbooks. They're also good for American foreign policy.

Yesterday, the Federal reserve refused to commit to any extreme stimulus measures for the economy– at least just yet. That has a ripple effect on commodities like oil.

If you've been to a gas station recently, you know that prices are down — on average, about 20 cents lower per gallon than a month ago. That's in part because the price of oil is at an eight-month low.

Gas prices may be a bit of bright spot in a dark and stormy world economy.