USDA: Beef inventory continues to declineUSDA: Beef inventory continues to decline

The prospect of U.S. military strikes on Syria has helped boost crude oil prices in recent weeks. West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, oil futures, which averaged $94.29 per barrel for the first half of 2013, closed at a 28-month high of $110.53 Sept. 6. While Syria is not a major oil producer, its proximity to critical shipping lanes, pipelines and the Suez Canal has traders worried about a disruption in oil logistics, even in the event of limited hostilities.

A possible response by Iran to U.S. action against its close ally, Syria, further amplifies the potential for oil supply problems. Temporary price spikes in both WTI to $125 and Brent oil — the global benchmark — to $140 per barrel are possible if hostilities extend beyond a single U.S...