It is hard to ignore the effects of high gas prices.
Every time you stop at the gas station it is evident just how much of an effect rising oil prices have had on your every day living expenses.
The gasoline you put into your vehicle is a refined, purified form of crude oil.
Over the last twelve months the traded price of crude oil has more than doubled to just over $140 per barrel.
This increased cost ultimately means the price you pay for gas at the pumps increases.
Why will oil prices rise further?

• Limited supply.
  There is only a limited amount of oil in the ground.
  Current estimates believe we have now used more than 50% of the natural oil reserves under the Earth.
  
• Increased cost of extraction.
  As oil fields are drained, oil companies need to drill new fields to maintain supply.
  As the big easy to access oil fields get emptied oil companies will have to start putting wells into smaller fields that are less accessible.
  This means the cost of extracting each barrel from the ground increases.
  
• Increased demand.
  Much of the recent price rises have been blamed on the huge increase in demand from the rapidly expanding economies of India and China.
  As these economies increase their requirements for oil increase also.
  These emerging economies show no sign of slowing in growth.
  
• Political instability.
  Much of the areas with large oil reserves tend to be in politically unstable areas of the world such as Iraq, Iran, other Middle eastern countries and Africa.
  There is no sign that the Middle East is becoming more stable and with concerns over Iran's nuclear development it seems hard to see that there is not going to be more conflict in the region.
  This will only push prices higher.
  

The one way to benefit from these price rises is to start trading oil or oil related securities.