The correct answer is A. Samuel Simpson is indeed a speculator. Speculators are individuals or entities who attempt to profit from market inefficiencies or price fluctuations. In this case, Simpson is speculating that the price of oil will increase due to the decision by the OPEC committee to cut oil supply. By purchasing crude oil futures, he is betting on the future price of oil. If his prediction is correct and the price of oil increases, he stands to make a profit. Speculators play a crucial role in the financial markets by providing liquidity and bearing the risk that hedgers seek to avoid. However, speculation involves a high level of risk as the markets may not move in the direction anticipated by the speculator. Choice B is incorrect. A hedger is someone who enters into a derivative contract to reduce or eliminate the risk associated with price fluctuations in an underlying asset. In this case, Samuel Simpson is not trying to mitigate risk but rather capitalize on anticipated price movements, which aligns more with the activities of a speculator than a hedger. Choice C is incorrect. An option trader buys and sells options contracts that give them the right, but not obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a predetermined price within a specific time period. Samuel Simpson's activity involves futures contracts and not options; hence he cannot be categorized as an option trader. Choice D is incorrect. An arbitrageur takes advantage of price discrepancies in different markets for the same asset to make risk-free profits. Samuel Simpson's actions do not involve exploiting such market inefficiencies; instead, he's making speculative trades based on expected future oil prices.