Diesel Rises 7.8¢ to $2.352 a Gallon
Diesel fuel’s national average price rose 7.8 cents from a week ago to $2.352 a gallon, its highest level this year, the Department of Energy said.
Gasoline, meanwhile, increased 8.9 cents to $2.524, its eighth straight gain and the highest price since late October. Gas has risen 91.1 cents this year and 48.7 cents in the past two months.
The increases comes as oil prices have climbed more than $18 in the past five weeks, closing above $68 a barrel Monday, a seven-month high, Bloomberg reported.
Crude futures rose $2.27 Monday to close at $68.58 on the New York Mercantile Exchange — up almost $7 from the Friday before Memorial Day, Bloomberg said.
The fourth straight weekly diesel gain marks a 15.1-cent increase in the past month and trucking’s main fuel has jumped 33.5 cents since mid-March, according to DOE figures.
Despite the increase, Monday’s price is $2.355 below the same week last year when diesel was on a run toward its $4.764 record set last July.
Gasoline’s increase left it $1.452 below the same week last year as it rose toward its $4.114 record, also set in July.
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
