The David Lin Report · Monday, July 13, 2026
Ron Butler acknowledges that using oil prices as an indicator for inflation and interest rates is a simplification but the easiest approach. He argues that sustained high oil prices, like WTI over $100 a barrel, would inevitably lead to inflation.
“Is it too simplistic a measure to use oil as an indicator of where rates are going to go?”
“Or is that probably just the easiest way to go about it for now? Just the easiest. It's not perfect. You're right. But it's just the easiest.”
“I mean, there's absolutely no one in North America would think that if WTI stays over $100 a barrel for a long time, that we're not going to have inflation.”