If before six months the rise in crude prices left everyone wondering about the possible limit of the hike, the question now is how low (crude price) can it go? Oil prices have fallen more than $100 a barrel to levels not seen since 2004 amid a global recession that has sapped consumption. Earlier on July 11, oil prices jumped to a record high above $147 a barrel. Now, $40 crude — seemingly unthinkable during its unstoppable race into triple digits in the first half of this year — is within reach.