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Mark Finley

Fellow in Energy and Global Oil, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University
Mark Finley is the fellow in energy and global oil at Rice University's Baker Institute. He has over 35 years of experience working at the intersections of energy, economics and public policy.

Before joining the Baker Institute, Finley was the senior U.S. economist at BP. For 12 years, he led the production of the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, the world’s longest-running compilation of objective global energy data. He also was responsible for the company’s long- and short-term oil market analysis, and he led the global oil market and transportation sector analyses for the long-term BP Energy Outlook.

Prior to joining BP, Finley was an analyst and manager at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. He was responsible for assessing the implications for U.S. strategic interests of developments in global oil and other energy markets, as well as analyzing the policies of key oil-producing and -consuming countries. He was recognized for exceptional analytic performance many times, including for oil market analysis during 1990-91 Gulf War. Finley also edited a daily intelligence summary for Cabinet-level U.S. economic policymakers as well as the president’s daily brief, and regularly briefed these summaries and other analysis to senior U.S. officials.

Finley is a senior fellow of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics, and has been recognized for his lifetime contributions to the profession of energy economics. He has held leadership roles in the International Association for Energy Economics, the National Association for Business Economics, and the Conference of Business Economics, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Finley is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan and holds graduate degrees from Northwestern University (in economics) and the George Washington University (in finance).

Rising oil prices, surging inflation: The Arab embargo 50 years ago weaponized oil to inflict economic trauma – sound familiar?

Oct 12, 2023 07:26 am UTC| Economy

Fifty years ago, a secret deal among Arab governments triggered one of the most traumatic economic crises to afflict the United States and other big oil importers. Saudi King Faisal and other Arab leaders launched an...

Economy

South Korea Warns Weak Won Could Push Inflation Higher in 2025

South Koreas central bank has warned that inflation next year could exceed earlier projections if the Korean won remains weak against the U.S. dollar, raising concerns about price stability and currency market pressures....

Chinese Robotaxi Stocks Rally as Tesla Boosts Autonomous Driving Optimism

Chinese robotaxi stocks surged in Hong Kong trading on Wednesday, tracking strong overnight gains in Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) as investor optimism around autonomous driving and ride-hailing technology continued to build....

Asian Currencies Slip as Dollar Strengthens; Indian Rupee Rebounds on Intervention Hopes

Most Asian currencies edged lower on Wednesday as investors weighed the U.S. Federal Reserves future interest rate path following mixed signals from the latest U.S. labor market data. At the same time, the Indian rupee...

Gold and Silver Surge as Safe Haven Demand Rises on U.S. Economic Uncertainty

Gold prices climbed during Asian trading on Wednesday, while silver prices surged to a fresh all-time high, as growing concerns over the U.S. economy fueled strong demand for safe haven assets. Investors increasingly...

Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers, Raising Venezuela Tensions and Oil Prices

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, dramatically escalating Washingtons pressure on President Nicolas Maduros government and...

Politics

NSW to Recall Parliament for Urgent Gun and Protest Law Reforms After Bondi Beach Shooting

The Australian state of New South Wales will recall parliament next week to pass sweeping reforms to gun ownership and protest laws following the countrys deadliest mass shooting in more than 30 years. The move comes just...

Pakistan’s Army Chief Faces Gaza Troop Dilemma Amid US Pressure

Pakistans most powerful military leader in decades, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is facing a critical test of his expanded authority as the United States presses Islamabad to contribute troops to a proposed Gaza stabilisation...

Trump Taps Former DHS Official Troy Edgar for U.S. Ambassador Role in El Salvador

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he intends to nominate Troy Edgar as the next United States ambassador to El Salvador, highlighting the administrations continued focus on strengthening diplomatic and...

Lukashenko Urges Swift Ukraine Peace Deal, Backs Trump’s Push for Rapid Resolution

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called for urgent action to end the war in Ukraine, voicing support for U.S. President Donald Trumps push for a rapid resolution while Washington continues diplomatic efforts...

Trump Administration Moves to Keep TransAlta Coal Plant Running Amid Rising AI Power Demand

The U.S. Energy Secretary has signed an emergency order to keep a key coal-fired power unit at the TransAlta-owned Centralia Generating Station in Washington state operating through much of the winter, marking the latest...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

noyb Files GDPR Complaints Against TikTok, Grindr, and AppsFlyer Over Alleged Illegal Data Tracking.

A European privacy advocacy group has filed fresh complaints against TikTok, Grindr, and AppsFlyer, accusing the companies of violating European Union privacy laws by unlawfully tracking and sharing sensitive user data...

MetaX IPO Soars as China’s AI Chip Stocks Ignite Investor Frenzy

Shares of Chinese AI chipmaker MetaX Integrated Circuits delivered a stunning market debut, soaring more than 600% above their initial public offering price as domestic investors poured into local semiconductor stocks. The...

Apple Explores India for iPhone Chip Assembly as Manufacturing Push Accelerates

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is reportedly in early-stage discussions with Indian semiconductor companies to explore the assembly and packaging of iPhone components in India, marking a potential shift in the companys global...

Amazon in Talks to Invest $10 Billion in OpenAI as AI Firm Eyes $1 Trillion IPO Valuation

Amazon.com Inc is reportedly in discussions to make a major investment in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, in a potential deal that could value the artificial intelligence company at more than $500 billion, according to a...

SUPERFORTUNE Launches AI-Powered Mobile App, Expanding Beyond Web3 Into $392 Billion Metaphysics Market

SUPERFORTUNE, a web3 AI application incubated by Manta Network, has launched its first mobile application, expanding beyond crypto-native users into the global consumer market. The SUPERFORTUNE mobile app delivers...