Oil jumps 6 pct after fall to 4-year low last week… Saudi deepens some supply cuts ahead of OPEC meeting… Equity market bounce aids sentiment across commodities

I’ve been bearish on oil refiners for nine months…

For most of 2008, oil refiners have led the race for the world’s worst investment. Refiners have crumpled under the soaring price of crude oil, their biggest cost. Most refiner stocks are down over 50% in the past six months.

As high prices at the pumps and the rise of biofuels cut into demand for gasoline, US oil refiners are switching their attention to diesel.

“The trend that is important behind the story of the future expansions is the downtrend in gasoline,” said Joanne Shore, analyst for the U.S. Energy Information Administration, speaking to Thomson Reuters.

“We feel that demand for distillates is going to be higher than gasoline for the next several years.

So a few weeks ago I wrote an article bashing the McCain gas-tax holiday plan. My conclusion was that the gas-tax did absolutely nothing to fix the reason that gas prices are higher. And in the end, all it would do is spur more demand for gasoline, meaning prices would go even higher.