I bet you have never thought that a message in Twitter can influence gas prices.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a Twitter account of Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev posted a message at 9:59 AM EST that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad had been injured or killed.
In half an hour the prices for oil jumped from $90.82 to $91.99. But according to the Reuters report, the Russian ministry denies any connection to the account.
Though Syria itself is not a major oil producer, it is feared that Iran would react to the news because of their connection to and support of Assad. Iran can just close off the Straight of Hormuz – a major oil artery.
The combination of Mideast unrest, and the spread of information through texts and tweets means it's unlikely this is the last time something like this will happen.
