chTONGUEeek’s “so secret he doesn’t even know who he is” Economics correspondent has discovered that Economists are now unanimously concerned that any imminent economic recovery may be stymied by oil prices either going up, or going down, or staying the same. The summary of his findings were as follows:

For several years economists were worried about run-away oil prices sending consumer prices through the roof, and the potential for the hyper-inflationary outcomes that could ensue. While some of this fear still lingers even in the wake of rapid price declines, they are now also worried that at current prices there is extreme risk of deflation and/or an economic collapse as numerous oil drilling projects become unprofitable, which can only get worse if the oil price drops further. In turn, any hope of an economic recovery is dependent on ensuring that oil prices neither go up, nor down, nor stay the same.

In related news, our correspondent also discovered that Economists believe the future strength of the economy is contingent on consumers increasing their savings rate, so long as this increase does not come at the expense of a cut in current consumption, nor lead to others increasing their debt. When asked how customers could save more without cutting consumption, nor having anyone to lend their new savings to, the Economists finally broke out of their unanimous slumber by splitting equally between the need for more and less government regulation.