"Oil Prices Jump as Saudi and Yemen Fighting Escalates"

"LONDON — Oil prices rose sharply on Thursday amid concerns that fighting in the Arabian Peninsula between a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels in Yemen could disrupt supplies.

While Yemen is a minor-league oil producer, the fact that Saudi Arabia, the country’s northern neighbor and one of the world’s leading oil exporters, had become embroiled in an armed conflict roiled the market, even though analysts said there was very little near-term chance of a disruption in petroleum production.

What might matter more, they said, is the longer-term market impact of rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East."

Stanley Reed reports for the New York Times March 26, 2015.