Clear Thinkers favorite James Hamilton is thinking about Saudi Arabia’s oil production and that always makes for interesting reading:

Saudi oil production is now down more than 10% from its peak level in 2005; . . . this decline in production has followed an erratic pattern, beginning in October 2005 when oil was selling for $62 and continuing through July 2006 when oil briefly touched $75, making it difficult to see these cutbacks as an effort to stabilize oil prices; . . . the production decline coincided with a doubling in the number of oil rigs employed in Saudi Arabia since 2004 and tripling since 1999.

Has Saudi oil production peaked? Read the entire post. Is Matt Simmons right after all?