In the energy market Thursday, crude for July delivery retreated, closing at $126.62/barrel, down $4.41. June reformulated gasoline lost 5 cents, to $3.40/gallon.

Oil prices gained a dollar today to approach last week’s record high of $133 a barrel after Nigerian rebels blew up a pipeline belonging to Royal Dutch Shell, forcing it to cut production. This from the Financial Times:

Crude prices jumped on Monday in electronic trading as news of the attack broke, but analysts said the impact on prices spilled over into Tuesday, when exchanges on both side of the Atlantic re-opened after the long weekend.

In the energy market Thursday, crude for July delivery pulled back after breaching the $135 level in overnight electronic trading, closing at $130.80/barrel, down $2.36. July reformulated gasoline dipped 7.03 cents, to $3.3297/gallon.

Money Morning Investment Director Keith Fitz-Gerald – one of the first global financial gurus to predict triple-digit oil prices – has boosted his target price for crude oil from $187 to $225.

With the oil price at near-record highs and Shell and BP declaring record profits last week, there are various truckloads of drivel about the oil majors being ruthless profiteers doing the rounds at the moment. But who’s really raking in the money?

When Goldman Sachs energy strategist Argun Murti made his oil price prediction that the black goo would “super-spike” past $200 in six months to two years’ time, how aware was he of the affects this prediction would have on the price of oil?

Murti’s price prediction seems to have been one of the main drivers behind oil’s climb yesterday, with the AP news wire carrying the headline: “Oil prices rise to record near $123 a barrel on prediction of $200 oil, supply concerns.”

Arjun Murti is getting the last laugh.

And just who is Arjun Murti? He’s the Goldman Sachs analyst who called for an oil “super spike” more than three years ago.

Except for a sharp dip that came just after New York opened and was quickly erased, gold stayed within a tight $7 range from the far East straight through to the end of trading, finishing near the high end at $856.70, up $4.30. For the week, gold shed 3.2%.

Gold started upward in the far East and continued on right through London and into the late morning of the New York session on Wednesday, before easing slightly and then leveling off for the rest of the day, finishing at $945.50, up $16.80. Overnight, gold has edged higher.

The concept of “Peak Oil” is becoming the conventional wisdom among global investors this decade. After all, it’s difficult to deny we’re reaching maximum oil production, when crude prices continue to hit new inflation-adjusted highs.