Haver Analytics
Haver Analytics
Global| Jul 30 2008

U.S. Gasoline Prices Down Again With Lower Crude Costs

Summary

The retail price for a gallon of regular gasoline fell ten cents last week to $3.96 per gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy survey. That added to a five cent decline during the prior week and reduced prices to their [...]


The retail price for a gallon of regular gasoline fell ten cents last week to $3.96 per gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy survey. That added to a five cent decline during the prior week and reduced prices to their lowest level since late May. For all grades of gasoline the average price fell eleven cents to $4.01 per gallon.

Yesterday, the spot market price for a gallon of regular gasoline fell to $2.91 per gallon versus last week's average of $2.98. That was down from the high two weeks ago above $3.40.

Weekly gasoline prices can be found in Haver's WEEKLY database, daily prices are in the DAILY database.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, though the demand for gasoline was unchanged last week from the prior period, gasoline demand during the latest four weeks fell 3.2% from a year earlier. That y/y decline nearly equaled the decline in gasoline demand three years ago when Hurricane Katrina struck and it limited gasoline supplies.

The DOE figures are available in Haver's OILWKLY database.

The price for a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude oil also declined last week by nine dollars per barrel to an average $126.14, down from $142.46 at the beginning of the month.Yesterday, the price for a barrel of crude was $122.19.

Prices for natural gas slipped for a third week to an average $9.93 per mmbtu (72.3% y/y).

Budget of the United States Government: Browse Fiscal Year 2009 here.

Weekly Prices 07/28/08 07/21/08 Y/Y 2007 2006 2005
Retail Regular Gasoline ($ per Gallon) 3.96 4.06 37.5% 2.80 2.57 2.27
Light Sweet Crude Oil, WTI  ($ per bbl.) 126.14 135.34 67.7% 72.25 66.12 56.60
  • 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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