Diesel Rises for Second Time in Six Months
Diesel fuel’s nationwide average price rose 2.3 cents to $2.314 a gallon, marking just the second increase in six months, while gasoline jumped a dime, the Department of Energy said Monday.
The only previous increase was the 0.1-cent uptick on Sept. 29, as trucking’s main fuel has otherwise declined steadily from the record $4.764 set on July 14.
Despite the increase, diesel is more than $1 below the same week last year, at $1.012 per-gallon cheaper, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations.
The price is $2.45 below the July peak, according to DOE records.
Gasoline, meanwhile, rose 10 cents to $1.784 a gallon, the second straight increase following last week’s 7.1-cent gain. Gas had last risen 18.7 cents on Sept. 15.
Despite the 17.1-cent gains of the past two weeks, gas is $1.284 below the same week last year and $2.33 below its $4.114 record set last July 7.
Oil, meanwhile, fell $3.18 to close at $37.85 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Monday, down about 60% from a year ago and more than $105 below the peak $145.29 closing-price set last July 3, Bloomberg reported.
Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.
