The price of oil has to at least triple in the next few years. This could easily be your ticket to an earlier or richer retirement.

The stocks of oil tanker companies are cheap…very, very cheap. But before moving into the heart of this investment observation, let’s gain a sliver of insight about the value of shipping itself.

Luckily, I was bearish on oil until recently. I said to short oil when it was at $120 per barrel on 04/23/08. I was a little early to the party, but oil did drop below $33 a barrel in December of 2008. Oil plummeted $114 a barrel after reaching its record high last summer.

Last year — 2008 — started out so well for the world’s energy industry. The price of oil was in the $90s and low $100s per barrel, not exorbitant.

IMF set for sharp cuts in global growth forecasts… February contract expires up 6 percent on short-covering… Focus on bearish demand; U.S. crude stocks data seen up…

Oil fell $2 a barrel to below $36 on Wednesday after a U.S. government report showed larger-than-expected rises in inventories of gasoline and distillates.

U.S. crude hovered near $40 a barrel on Thursday, around its lowest price since July 2004, amid doubts in OPEC’s ability to curb output quickly after the group announced record production cuts.

OPEC in agreement on need for deep supply cut… Saudi Arabia has cut supply by 8 percent – OPEC president… Russia offers OPEC “concrete support”

Job market takes another turn for the worse… unemployment data at 26-year high… Government solution:spend… budget and trade deficits swell more than expected… Byron King on falling oil demand… and what it means for long-term investors… Gold soars… Ed Bugos with some fresh price targets… Signs of the times… Chinese bank opens in U.S., world’s biggest LBO collapses… Plus, Chris Mayer on the automaker bailout

Oil rises above $47 a barrel… U.S. weekly oil stocks data expected to show bearish rises… OPEC compliance to cuts at 66 percent for November