Recent Updates
- US: Wholesale Trade (Feb), Producer Prices (Mar)
- US: Producer Price Indexes by Commodity Detail (Mar)
- US: Producer Price Indexes by Industry Detail (Mar)
- Canada: Investment in Building Construction (Feb), Labor Force Survey (Mar)
- more updates...
Economy in Brief
U.S. Wholesale Inventories Post Strong February Gain; Sales Fall
Wholesale inventories increased 0.6% (2.0% y/y) during February...
U.S. Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims Unexpectedly Increase
Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 744,000 during the week ended April 3...
Total PMIs Gain Traction in March
The PMI readings for March show improvement again...
U.S. Consumer Credit Outstanding Bounces Back in February
Consumer credit outstanding surged $27.6 billion during February...
U.S. Trade Deficit Widens to Record during February
The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened to $71.1 during February...
Viewpoints
Commentaries are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of Haver Analytics.
by Tom Moeller March 6, 2018
Retail gasoline prices of $2.56 per gallon last week (9.4% y/y) were little-changed versus the prior two weeks, up from the early-2016 lows near $1.76 per gallon. Prices have moved roughly sideways since September. Haver Analytics constructs factors adjusting for the seasonal variation in gasoline pump prices. The seasonally-adjusted price fell to $2.66 per gallon, the lowest level since early-January.
WTI crude oil prices of $62.13 per barrel last week (16.0% y/y) compared to $62.47 in the prior week, and $45.62 per barrel last June. Prices held at $62.57 per barrel yesterday. Brent crude oil prices increased to $66.02 per barrel last week and rose to $65.78 yesterday.
Natural gas prices of $2.61/mmbtu (3.1% y/y) were fairly steady w/w and were $2.67/mmbtu yesterday.
In the week ended February 16, gasoline demand increased 3.8% y/y, while total petroleum product demand improved 2.7% y/y. Gasoline inventories declined 1.6% y/y, while inventories of all petroleum products fell 8.6% y/y. Crude oil input to refineries improved 3.8% y/y in the last four weeks.
The energy price data are reported by the U.S. Department of Energy. The petroleum demand and inventory figures are from the Oil & Gas Journal Weekly. These data can be found in Haver's WEEKLY database. The daily figures are in DAILY and greater detail on prices, demand and production, along with regional breakdowns, are in OILWKLY.
Weekly Energy Prices | 03/05/18 | 02/26/18 | 02/19/18 | Y/Y % | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Retail Gasoline ($ per Gallon, Regular) | 2.56 | 2.55 | 2.56 | 9.4 | 2.47 | 2.31 | 2.03 |
Light Sweet Crude Oil, WTI ($ per bbl.) | 62.13 | 62.47 | 60.47 | 16.0 | 50.87 | 43.22 | 48.90 |
Natural Gas ($/mmbtu, LA, WSJ) | 2.61 | 2.60 | 2.52 | 3.1 | 2.96 | 2.49 | 2.62 |