How hard will the oil price slump hit mining investment?

Following the collapse in crude oil prices, a sizable drop in mining investment is inevitable. Nevertheless, the shale oil boom, which has been going for less than a decade, is so new that it’s hard to know exactly what the impact on investment will be, particularly in the short-term. Regardless, even in a worst case scenario, the hit to investment will be more than offset by the huge boost to real consumption from lower gasoline prices.