The following UC Davis experts are available to comment on the latest economic news: five straight months of job losses, record-high crude oil prices, rising food prices and a stock market plunge.

OIL PRICES -- Economist Christopher Knittel can talk about how oil prices are set and how they impact transportation industries and the economy overall. He can also discuss consumer response to high gas prices. Knittel is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a visiting research associate at the University of California Energy Institute and a faculty associate at the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. Contact: Christopher Knittel, Economics, (530) 302-1032, crknittel@ucdavis.edu.

FOOD PRICES -- Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Davis-based University of California Agricultural Issues Center, specializes in national and international agricultural policy. Sumner, the Frank H. Buck Jr. Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, can discuss international commodity markets and trade, rice economics, and biofuels policies. Contact: Daniel Sumner, Agricultural Issues Center, (530) 752-1668, dan@primal.ucdavis.edu.

ROLE OF THE IRAQ WAR -- Indirect costs of war, such as lost trade, may have as great an impact on the economy as conventionally measured direct costs, according to economic historian Alan Taylor. Taylor is co-author of "Collateral Damage: Trade Disruption and the Economic Impact of War," a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper. He can also comment on international exchange rates, banking, finance, money and the evolution of the world economy. Taylor is director of the UC Davis Center for the Evolution of the Global Economy, a research associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research and a research fellow with the Centre for Economic Policy Research. Contact: Alan Taylor, economics, (530) 754-7464, amtaylor@ucdavis.edu.

INVESTOR REACTIONS -- Finance professor Brad Barber can comment on how investors react to troubling news. He has published widely on the psychology of investing. Contact: Brad Barber, Graduate School of Management, (530) 752-0512, bmbarber@ucdavis.edu.

FISCAL POLICY AND POLITICS -- Steven M. Sheffrin, professor of economics and dean of social sciences, is an expert in macroeconomics and economic policy. He can talk about taxes, fiscal policy and politics, and consumer confidence. A former financial economist with the U.S. Treasury and a Brookings Economic Policy Fellow, Sheffrin has served on the board of the National Tax Association. He directs the UC Davis Center for State and Local Taxation. Contact: Steven Sheffrin, Economics, (530) 754-8925, smsheffrin@ucdavis.edu.

CRUDE OIL COSTS AND QUALITY OF LIFE -- After an initial period of painful adaptation, Americans can live happily, opulently and indeed more healthily in a world of permanent $100-a-barrel oil or even $500-a-barrel oil, argues Gregory Clark, professor and chair of economics. The economic historian is the author of the critically acclaimed 2007 book, "A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World." Clark can also discuss other aspects of the current economic crisis from a global and historic perspective. Contact: Gregory Clark, economics, (530) 302-1030, gclark@ucdavis.edu.

EMPLOYMENT IN THE 'NEW ECONOMY' -- Jobs scholar Vicki Smith, professor and chair of sociology, can talk about the changing nature of work, especially the rise in job insecurity in recent decades. She is the author of the 2008 book, "The Good Temp," which analyzes the temporary employment industry, and "Crossing the Great Divide: Worker Risk and Opportunity in the New Economy," published in 2001. Contact: Vicki Smith, sociology, (530) 752-6170, vasmith@ucdavis.edu.

MARKETS AND BUSINESS CONFIDENCE -- Economist Robert Smiley, a professor in the Graduate School of Management, can talk about the impact of bad news on financial markets and business confidence. Contact: Robert Smiley, Graduate School of Management, (530) 752-7662, rhsmiley@ucdavis.edu.