Global| Feb 01 2011U.S. Gasoline Prices Are Stable
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
Last week, the pump price for regular gasoline retraced the penny increase of the prior week and slipped to $3.10 per gallon. Still, prices remained the firmest since October 2008 and were nearly double the December-2008 low of $1.61. [...]
Last week, the pump price for regular gasoline retraced the
penny increase of the prior week and slipped to $3.10 per gallon. Still, prices
remained the firmest since October 2008 and were nearly double the
December-2008 low of $1.61. However, yesterday the spot market price for a
gallon of regular gasoline rose to $2.48 from an average $2.41 last week.
Typically, pump prices decline this time of year due to lessened seasonal
demand. To account for this pattern, Haver Analytics calculates seasonal
factors and the adjusted gasoline price held steady at $3.35 per gallon.
Crude oil prices fell last week to $86.85 per barrel of light sweet crude (WTI). The price compares to an average $79.51 during all of last year. Yesterday, the crude oil price fell further to $92.19 per barrel, the highest since September 2008. The seasonally adjusted cost of a barrel of crude oil fell to $94.34 per barrel as calculated by Haver Analytics.
Lastly, natural gas prices fell to an average of $4.45 per mmbtu. Prices are up from the low $3.49 during October. Yesterday, prices held at $4.44 and were down from last year's early-January high of $6.50.
Demand for gasoline increased 1.1% last week versus last year. The demand for residual fuel oil, used for heating, fell 6.1% and distillate demand slipped 0.6% y/y. Inventories of crude oil and petroleum products rose a greatly lessened 1.4% during the last twelve months.
The energy price data are reported by the U.S. Department of Energy and can be found in Haver's WEEKLY database. The daily figures are in DAILY and the gasoline demand figures are in OILWKLY
| Weekly Price | 1/31/11 | 1/24/11 | 1/17/11 | Y/Y | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Regular Gasoline ($ per Gallon, Regular) | 3.10 | 3.11 | 3.10 | 16.5% | 2.78 | 2.35 | 3.25 |
| Light Sweet Crude Oil, WTI($ per bbl.) | 86.85 | 89.80 | 91.03 | 17.3 | 79.51 | 61.39 | 100.16 |
| Natural Gas ($/mmbtu) | 4.45 | 4.58 | 4.47 | -18.5 | 4.40 | 3.95 | 8.88 |
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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