The race between burgers and barrels remains too close to call, but petroleum backers have more reason for comfort. A barrel of crude, now priced around $100, has been worth more than 19.2 Big Macs for most of the duration of our bet. I had a brief taste of the lead in early October before a rapid correction.

Will The Economist give me a few more cost-of-burger-adjustments by 2015? Will Peak Oil finally deliver on its promises? Will nefarious manipulation give one side the edge? Keep your eyes on the dashboard for the latest figures.