How to play rising oil prices

Rising oil prices have been dominating headlines thanks to the continued unrest in the crude-rich MENA region and concerns over the Japan nuclear crisis. At the time of writing prices had jumped to $113.64 a barrel, after hitting a session high of $114.20. While higher oil prices could derail global economic recovery because consumers will have less discretionary income available, investors can take advantage of the theme via a number of methods. Playing the oil price directly is notoriously difficult. David Coombs, head of multi-asset investments at Rathbones, says energy funds, w...