The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors: US inflation at a 30-year high & oil capex at a multi-year low

Russ Mould, Investment Director of A J Bell, looks behind the 30-year-high numbers for US inflation. CPI is 6.2% but the producer price index is 8.6% with intermediate producer prices up 25% and raw materials climbing 57% year on year. While high energy prices are responsible for some of that, he also points out that the capital investment of the oil majors is, despite the high oil price, at around a 20-year low. He explains the reason behind this (is oil the new tobacco?) but wonders if oil should be written off as an investment just yet.