Missed your post Ken, looks like I was typing when you posted.

As for the traders, it's a matter of market conditions. First, Europe is moving ever closer to having to admit that a couple or few states are about broke and may have to bail on the Euro. That in turn has strengthened the dollar and weakened gold and other commodities. Since oil is priced in dollars a stronger dollar means that the price can come down a bit based on higher value of money traded for. Add to that that China is compressing some in their economy, lowering demand slightly, and it's logical to be bidding down future prices. There are even more factors to be considered but those should be enough to make the point. Maybe some day we as citizens will come to recognize that the notion of private sector "greed" is proffered by the politicians and their lap dogs to strengthen their hold over us. Give me the free market (please!) over a genuinely greedy (for power) politician any day.