Biography
Mark Finley is the fellow in energy and global oil at Rice University's Baker Institute. He has over 35 years of experience working at the intersections of energy, economics and public policy.
Before joining the Baker Institute, Finley was the senior U.S. economist at BP. For 12 years, he led the production of the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, the world’s longest-running compilation of objective global energy data. He also was responsible for the company’s long- and short-term oil market analysis, and he led the global oil market and transportation sector analyses for the long-term BP Energy Outlook.
Prior to joining BP, Finley was an analyst and manager at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. He was responsible for assessing the implications for U.S. strategic interests of developments in global oil and other energy markets, as well as analyzing the policies of key oil-producing and -consuming countries. He was recognized for exceptional analytic performance many times, including for oil market analysis during 1990-91 Gulf War. Finley also edited a daily intelligence summary for Cabinet-level U.S. economic policymakers as well as the president’s daily brief, and regularly briefed these summaries and other analysis to senior U.S. officials.
Finley is a senior fellow of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics, and has been recognized for his lifetime contributions to the profession of energy economics. He has held leadership roles in the International Association for Energy Economics, the National Association for Business Economics, and the Conference of Business Economics, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Finley is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan and holds graduate degrees from Northwestern University (in economics) and the George Washington University (in finance).
Contact him at mjf13@rice.edu or (713) 348-2217.
Recent Publications
Peak Gasoline Heralds Price Shocks for Drivers, Inflation Headaches
U.S. gasoline demand has peaked, with further declines in demand forecast for this year and next. The milestone will have "significant implications for consumers, inflation [and] politics," said fellow Mark Finley. "All in all, a big deal — over time."
Even as Oil Prices Ease, U.S. Keeps Tapping Strategic Reserve
“Previously the mantra was ‘We’re not here to manage markets, we’re here to manage physical shortages,'" said energy fellow Mark Finley about Biden's move to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to reduce gas prices.
Midwest Gasoline Prices Surge Following Deadly BP Refinery Fire
Following a deadly refinery fire in Ohio, Midwest gasoline stockpiles are close to record lows. Energy fellow Mark Finley told Bloomberg that the resulting price increases have an “outsized economic impact beyond their direct hit to gasoline demand.”