Pakistan floods threaten oil crisis

Fuel shortages have been reported in Pakistan's biggest oil refinery as the threats from floods prompted its closure.

The refinery is situated in the Muzaffar-garh town in the Punjab province, where long queues are forming at the filling stations amidst fears of a potential fuel crisis.

Aljazeera's Kamal Haydar reports on the impact of the floods on families of Muzaffar-garh town.

BP carpet bombed Gulf with dispersants

CNN--August 01, 2010--New documents indicate BP went overboard in using chemicals to break up oil. CNN's Reynolds Wolf reports.

The Historic Gold Silver Ratio

The price of silver has been notoriously volatile as it can fluctuate between industrial and store of value demands. At times this can cause wide ranging valuations in the market, creating volatility.

Silver often tracks the gold price due to store of value demands, although the ratio can vary. The gold/silver ratio is often analyzed by traders, investors and buyers. In 1792, the gold/silver ratio was fixed by law in the United States at 1:15, which meant that one troy ounce of gold would buy 15 troy ounces of silver; a ratio of 1:15.5 was enacted in France in 1803. The average gold/silver ratio during the 20th century, however, was 1:47. The lower the ratio/number, the more expensive silver is compared to gold. Conversely the higher the ratio/number, the cheaper silver is compared to gold.