Hurricane Katrina caused already skyrocketing energy prices to soar even higher, and as the months grow colder, it could leave many low-income families and seniors struggling to heat their homes,

The hurricane has been downgraded slightly, so prices will tend to ease, but they could just as easily head higher again [if] the weather forecast dictates,

consumer spending has not been dented by the hurricane-inspired rise in gasoline prices and fears of higher home heating oil bills.

It's a new version of the butterfly effect. A hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico can lead to higher prices around the world. That's how vulnerable oil markets are today to events outside of our control. And it shows how little room there is for errors.

Apple already has a huge market share (for MP3 players), and this is just going to make it grow higher,

oil had a measurable impact on prices paid before the storm (Hurricane Katrina). Given the fact that we are now seeing energy supply interruptions the prices paid index will almost certainly be back above 70 next month, and it's very likely the headline index will fall further on weakness in both production and orders.