Global| Mar 03 2009U.S. Gasoline Prices Remained Just Above $1.90; Demand Stabilizing
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, regular gasoline prices rose two cents last week and the increase left them in the middle of the $1.89 to $1.96 range in place since early February. At an average $1.93 per gallon prices [...]
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, regular gasoline prices rose two cents last week and the increase left them in the middle of the $1.89 to $1.96 range in place since early February. At an average $1.93 per gallon prices remained near their recent high, up 32 cents from the December low. Yesterday, the spot market price for regular gasoline reversed course and fell to $1.22, down eight cents from Friday and down eight cents from the early February high of $1.32 per gallon.
Weekly gasoline prices can be found in Haver's WEEKLY database. Daily prices are in the DAILY database.
Downward momentum in gasoline demand continued to ease last week according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The year-to-year change of -0.5% compared to its worst comparison of -4.8% last October after gasoline prices were hitting their peak. The change in demand is the latest four weeks versus the same four weeks in 2008. Demand for all petroleum products was down 0.8% year-to-year after the -8.0% comparison last October. These numbers are available in Haver's OILWKLY database.
The price for a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude rose last week to $41.81 per barrel. Like gasoline, crude oil prices have been trading this year in a tight range between $37.00 and $44.50 per barrel. Prices reached a high of $145.66 last July. In futures trading yesterday, the one-month price for crude oil was $40.15 per barrel. Last week's average was $42.18.
The price of natural gas fell further last week to $4.16 per mmbtu (-54.7% y/y), the lowest level since September 2006. The latest average price was down more than two-thirds from the high reached in early-July of $13.19/mmbtu.
| Weekly Prices | 03/02/09 | 02/23/09 | Y/Y | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Regular Gasoline ($ per Gallon) | 1.93 | 1.91 | -38.8% | 3.25 | 2.80 | 2.57 |
| Light Sweet Crude Oil, WTI ($ per bbl.) | 41.81 | 36.99 | -58.6% | 100.16 | 72.25 | 66.12 |
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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