I’m back! Price hike soon.

I have had some personal and professional responsibilities this past week, so I haven’t been able to follow things closely, but “oil at an all-time high” has been all over the media, and gas prices on NYMEX have jumped, too. That makes Friday’s price re-set (by everyone!) to “just” $2.99 a little odd. Using the usual 20-cent margin, the HU contract on NYMEX yields $3.06 a gallon, while the HU/RB averaging formula gives us $3.11. (Note that the RB = reformulated blendstock is not going up as fast as the HU = NY harbor unleaded.) Prices in Fort Wayne, Indiana are usually a dime less than in Grand Rapids, and they are at $2.99, too. So, we seem to be lucky to have prices just under $3, which means another price hike to $3.09 next Monday or Tuesday is just about certain. Prices rose on Monday to $3.09 on the east side of the state, $3.15 here in the Grand Rapids area. Although I was a bit off on the price, the prediction was essentially CORRECT.