Global| Jan 04 2017U.S. Gasoline & Crude Oil Prices Strengthen
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The cost of energy products is moving higher. Regular gasoline prices rose to $2.38 per gallon (17.2% y/y) last week, the highest level since early in June. Prices remained down from a 2014 high of $3.71 per gallon. Haver Analytics [...]
The cost of energy products is moving higher. Regular gasoline prices rose to $2.38 per gallon (17.2% y/y) last week, the highest level since early in June. Prices remained down from a 2014 high of $3.71 per gallon. Haver Analytics constructs factors adjusting for the seasonal variation in these pump prices. Since weakness in gasoline demand generally leads to lower prices at this time of year, the seasonally adjusted price rose sharply last week to $2.68 per gallon, the highest level since December 2014.
Crude oil prices also continue to strengthen. WTI crude oil prices increased to $53.58 per barrel (44.9% y/y) last week. Prices were up to the highest level since July 2015. Yesterday, prices eased to $52.33 per barrel. Brent crude oil prices increased to $54.45 per barrel last week, then rose to $55.05 per barrel yesterday.
Natural gas prices rose to $3.67/mmbtu last week (64.0% y/y), and made up most of the declines during the prior two weeks. They were close to their highest price level since December 2014. Prices eased to $3.39 yesterday.
Last week, gasoline demand declined 2.8% y/y, while demand for all petroleum products fell 1.5% y/y. Gasoline inventories increased 2.6% y/y, and inventories of all petroleum products increased 2.2% y/y. Crude oil input to refineries eased 0.6% y/y in the last four weeks.
The energy price data are reported by the U.S. Department of Energy. The petroleum demand and inventory figures are from the Oil & Gas Journal Weekly. These data can be found in Haver's WEEKLY database. The daily figures are in DAILY and greater detail on prices, demand and production, along with regional breakdowns, are in OILWKLY.
| Weekly Energy Prices | 01/02/17 | 12/26/16 | 12/19/16 | Y/Y % | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Gasoline ($ per Gallon, Regular) | 2.38 | 2.31 | 2.26 | 17.2 | 2.31 | 2.03 | 2.30 |
| Light Sweet Crude Oil, WTI ($ per bbl., WSJ) | 53.58 | 52.36 | 51.92 | 44.9 | 43.22 | 48.90 | 93.64 |
| Natural Gas ($/mmbtu, LA, WSJ) | 3.67 | 3.50 | 3.54 | 64.0 | 2.49 | 2.62 | 4.37 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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