Hurricane Ida's trip through Gulf of Mexico could push oil prices higher

It has been months since a hurricane posed a real threat to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Now, Hurricane Ida is entering the region from the west after doing significant damage in Nicaragua.

Most hurricanes that move into the Gulf end up doing very little damage to either deep sea drilling platforms or the refineries around Houston, but traders still get nervous about the potential interruption in oil supply. According to the Financial Times, the Gulf of Mexico accounts for almost 25% of U.S. oil production.