Softening oil prices and price expectations, negative stock market returns and tightening credit conditions are putting downward pressure on industry activity and employment. In electricity markets, natural gas and renewables are replacing coal generation as real residential electricity prices have moderated. Average benchmark crude prices popped up by about $2 in September due mainly to the bombing of Saudi oil infrastructure, which disrupted nearly 6 percent of global supplies midmonth. However, prices soon returned to pre-attack levels, and average crude prices in October were on par with those in August. Brent ... (full story)