Another big jump in L.A. gas prices

Ouch - an average gallon of regular is $4.19 a gallon, up almost a dime from last week, according to the government's survey. And yes, people are beginning to notice. From AP:

For five consecutive weeks, Americans have bought less gas than they did a year earlier, according to MasterCard Spending Pulse, which tracks the volume of gas sold at 140,000 service stations nationwide. For the week of April 1, drivers bought about 2.4 million fewer gallons than they did one year earlier, or 3.6 percent. That was the biggest decline since December, when people were staying home because of snowstorms.

The good news is that oil futures tumbled today, with NY crude selling at $109.92 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after hitting a multiyear high of $113.46 earlier in the day. But the oil markets remain quite volatile, and there's no telling whether the drop is for real. From the WSJ:

Credit Suisse said high gasoline prices have already started to weigh on demand, and Goldman Sachs on Monday pointed to "nascent signs of oil demand destruction" in a research report as a sign that continued oil-price increases are less likely to continue. Still, some market watchers are wary of predicting a massive drop in demand. "Demand destruction is a different issue than whether demand is a little soft," said Andy Lebow, an oil analyst with MF Global.

More by Mark Lacter:
American-US Air settlement with DOJ includes small tweak at LAX
Socal housing market going nowhere fast
Amazon keeps pushing for faster L.A. delivery
Another rugged quarter for Tribune Co. papers
How does Stanford compete with the big boys?
Those awful infographics that promise to explain and only distort
Best to low-ball today's employment report
Further fallout from airport shootings
Crazy opening for Twitter*
Should Twitter be valued at $18 billion?
Recent stories:
Letter from Down Under: Welcome to the Homogenocene
One last Florida photo
Signs of Saturday: No refund
'I Am Woman,' hear them roar
Bobcat crossing

New at LA Observed
On the Media Page
Go to Media

On the Politics Page
Go to Politics
Arts and culture

Sign up for daily email from LA Observed

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


Advertisement
Mark Lacter
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.
 
Mark Lacter, business writer and editor was 59
The multi-talented Mark Lacter
LA Observed on Twitter and Facebook