By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com
July 16, 2010
Gasoline prices are were mostly stable in the last week, with the average price rising a penny a gallon, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge Survey.
The national average price of self-serve regular gas is $2.723, up from $2.713 a gallon last Friday. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.952, down from $2.957 a gallon.
Stability at the pump has been reinforced in recent weeks by less radical moves in oil prices. Even when the oil market pushed crude prices higher, the fact that the U.S. continues to maintain large supplies of both oil and gasoline has helped keep pump prices in line.
"If there is a silver lining in any of the recent price and economic data it's that volatility, for the moment, has been extremely limited in the crude market," said Andrew Delmege, AAA's manager of regulatory affairs. "$75 per barrel seems to be the current middle range for prices. When prices make a downward move toward the $70 per barrel range, the traders' pattern is to buy. At the same time, $80 seems far out of reach as traders are content to take profits when crude prices climb over the $75 mark."
In a sign of stability, gasoline prices are up only two cents a gallon in the last month. However, prices are 22 cents a gallon higher than this time last year.
The states with the most expensive gasoline today are:
Alaska ($3.492)
Hawaii ($3.465)
California ($3.144)
Washington ($3.021)
Nevada ($2.937)
Oregon ($2.928)
New York ($2.882)
Idaho ($2.896)
Utah ($2.877)
Connecticut ($2.853)
The states with the least expensive gasoline today are:
South Carolina ($2.475)
Missouri ($2.558)
Tennessee ($2.535)
Alabama ($2.538)
Virginia ($2.556)
Texas ($2.562)
Georgia ($2.576)
New Jersey ($2.578)
Louisiana ($2.583)
North Carolina ($2.602)
