Price manipulation is a fallacy of the same nature as the controlled inflation. If the Arab sheiks and Venezuelan president are so powerful, why haven’t they prevented the near-collapse of oil prices back in 1998 instead of risking Venezuela nearly going bankrupt?
It’s also fashionable to blame it on Katrina and greedy speculators. All these factors, including alleged manipulation can give it a temporary jump (like Katrina did) but it is hardly sustainable for more than a few days/ weeks. If it settles between $50 and 60 for a few years, it’s here to stay and the cause is more serious than OPec. By some accounts the dollar lost 40-45% of its value within the past 15 years. This would explain it better.