Rose Rougeau Retail Quotations

Retail gasoline prices have moved higher against a backdrop of increased crude oil prices. A year ago, crude oil traded at $49 a barrel and gas prices averaged $1.792--49 cents lower than the current average of $2.283. This week, crude hovers around $66 a barrel.

Retail gasoline prices have gone up 15 cents in the past two weeks. The increases can be traced to investor speculation leading to higher prices for both crude and wholesale gasoline. With crude trading around $64 a barrel, it doesn't appear likely gasoline will fall below $2 a gallon anytime soon.

Crude oil prices that continued to stay below $65 a barrel this week, fueled by the warmer than normal winter weather across the U.S., have helped drive retail gasoline prices slightly lower. It remains to be seen however, if these relatively modest declines in retail gasoline prices will continue with the geo-political concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Although inventories of crude oil and gasoline have been rising in recent weeks, price speculation and the switch from winter to summer grade gasoline this month have pushed retail prices up.

Conditions indicate that motorists may see slight increases in retail gasoline prices within the next few days. Typically, pump prices in Texas move lower during this time of year due to a decrease in demand, but with crude oil trading around $63 a barrel that has yet to happen.

The jump in retail gas prices is partly due to the seasonal production switch from winter- to summer-grade gasoline, which usually brings higher prices as output is temporarily reduced.