U.S. Energy Prices Are Mixed in Latest Week
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
- Gasoline prices are minimally changed.
- Crude oil costs rise further.
- Natural gas prices strengthen.
Retail gasoline prices for all grades slipped to $3.15 per gallon (-1.3% y/y), on average, in the week ended November 3 after rising to $3.16 in the previous week. The recent high was $3.79 in the week ending April 22, 2024. Their all-time high of $5.11 occurred in the week ending June 13, 2022. Haver Analytics seasonally adjusts the retail prices of regular grade gasoline. That price held at $3.05 last week versus $3.05 in the previous week.
The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose to $60.70 per barrel (-11.2% y/y) in the week ended October 31 after improving to $59.43 per barrel in the prior week. It was the highest price in three weeks but prices remained below a recent high of $74.17 during the third week of June. The cost of crude oil peaked at $120.46 in the week of June 10, 2022. Yesterday, the price was $61.05 per barrel. The price of European Brent crude increased to $65.02 per barrel (-10.5% y/y) in the week of October 31 after rising to $63.22 in the prior week. Prices remained below a recent high of $95.61 in the week of September 29, 2023 and below a peak of $127.40 in June 2022. Yesterday, the price was $65.79 per barrel.
Natural gas prices rose to an average $3.43/mmbtu (88.5% y/y) in the week ended October 31 after rising to $3.25/mmbtu in the prior week. The rise left prices at the highest level since the second week of April and well above the low of $1.40/mmbtu in the week of March 15, 2024. Yesterday, the price was $3.37 per mmbtu.
Gasoline demand declined 4.2% y/y in the four weeks ending October 24, following a 3.6% y/y decline in the prior four weeks. Demand for all petroleum products weakened 0.9% y/y in the four weeks ending October 24, after slipping 0.1% y/y in the previous four-week period. Crude oil input to refineries declined 1.7% y/y in the four weeks ending October 24, after a 0.3% y/y gain in the prior four weeks.
Gasoline inventories ease 0.1% y/y in the week ending October 24 following a 1.5% y/y gain in the prior week. Residual fuel oil inventories fell 10.0% y/y in the October 24 week after falling 13.0% y/y in the prior week. Working higher, crude oil inventories rose 1.7% y/y in the week of October 24 after rising 2.6% y/y in the previous week.
Measured in days’ supply, gasoline inventories fell to 24.3 days in the week of October 24. The recent low was 22.9 days in the week of November 8, 2024. The supply of crude oil held steady at 26.7 days in the week of October 24. The supply remained below a recent high of 31.9 days in the week of March 3, 2023.
These data are reported by the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy. The price and supply/demand data can be found in Haver’s WEEKLY and USENERGY databases.
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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