It's time again for our weekly gasoline update based on data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The price of Regular dropped two cents and Premium a penny from last week. WTIC ended today at $36.31, down a dollar thirty four from the previous week and at its lowest since June of 2004. According to GasBuddy.com, Hawaii has the highest average price for Regular at $2.78 and Los Angeles,CA is averaging $2.74. Kansas has the cheapest at $1.77.
How far are we from the interim high prices of 2011 and the all-time highs of 2008? Here's a visual answer.
The next chart is a monthly chart overlay of West Texas Light Crude, Brent Crude and unleaded gasoline end-of-day spot prices (GASO).
In this monthly chart, WTIC closed today at 36.31 a barrel, its lowest since June of 2004.
The volatility in crude oil and gasoline prices has been clearly reflected in recent years in both the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE). For additional perspective on how energy prices are factored into the CPI, see What Inflation Means to You: Inside the Consumer Price Index.
The chart below offers a comparison of the broader aggregate category of energy inflation since 2000, based on categories within Consumer Price Index (commentary here).
Here are some additional commentaries related to gasoline prices: