U.S. employers cut 533,000 jobs in November… Oil prices near lowest level in four years… Market looking at $40 as slowdown hurts demand

In the energy market Monday, oil eked out a small gain, with crude for December delivery closing at $62.41/barrel, up $1.37 from Friday. December reformulated gasoline added a penny and three-quarters, to $1.3679/gallon.

Could someone notify our clueless congresscritters? Fresh data from the U.S. Department of Energy show the amount of petroleum products shipped by the world’s top oil exporters fell 2.5% last year, despite a 57% increase in prices, a trend that appears to be holding true this year as well.