Houston man hit with $2,700 power bill after snowstorm
Yueqi Yang and Naureen S. Malik, Bloomberg
Feb. 22, 2021
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HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 21: The U.S. and Texas flags fly in front of high voltage transmission towers on February 21, 2021 in Houston, Texas.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
(Bloomberg) After enduring a wretched week of Arctic storms, hunger and cold, several Texans lucky enough to have power were handed another pain point massive electricity bills.
Houston resident David Astrein, 36, a human resources director at a manufacturing company, said he’s been charged $2,738.66 for 20 days this month versus $129.85 for the whole of January for a three-bedroom home with a detached garage. He and his wife stopped using their dishwasher, washer and dryer, and turned on as few lights as possible at night. They kept the heat on for their 5-month old son.
Oil slumps along with consumer sentiment
Andres Guerra Luz, Bloomberg
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FILE - In this April 24, 2015, file photo, pumpjacks work in a field near Lovington, N.M.Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
Oil slid by the most in three weeks as a stronger dollar and weak U.S. economic data stoked concerns over an economic rebound.
Futures in New York tumbled 2.3 percent on Friday after a rally in oil earlier in the week pushed the benchmark into overbought territory. The U.S. dollar strengthened, reducing the appeal of commodities priced in the currency. U.S. consumer sentiment cooled more than forecast in January and other economic data such as sluggish retail sales and producer prices also portray the obstacles still facing the country as it emerges from the pandemic.
Oil extends gains on expectations for shrinking U.S. supplies
Andres Guerra Luz, Bloomberg
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In this Thursday evening, April 2, 2020 photo, traffic passes over the Midland-Odessa county line in front of an oil rig storage yard. (Odessa American/Eli Hartman)Eli Hartman/Associated Press
Oil advanced after settling at a fresh 10-month high, with an industry report showing U.S. crude inventories fell by more than expected.
Futures rose further above $53 a barrel after the American Petroleum Institute was said to report that domestic crude stockpiles fell by 5.82 million barrels last week. Inventories are expected to decline by 3 million barrels, according to the median estimate of a Bloomberg survey for Wednesday’s U.S. government storage report.