Why a second hike this week?

Friday, August 17, 2007, 3:20 PM:  Why a second hike this week, to $2.99?  While NYMEX prices jumped a nickel since Monday, AXXIS prices jumped a dime, and quick moves like that usually get passed on to the consumer.  In addition, we are in the middle of August, which has not been friendly to buyers of gasoline lately.  What is odd to me is that the Cascade/East Paris/Forest Hills/I-96 collection of gas stations have been in a world of their own this summer, and prices remain $2.89 today.  You may have noticed that those stations were sticking with rather high prices a few weeks ago while prices were dropping everywhere in the state.  Looking forward, wholesale prices are higher today than yesterday, so I’m not expecting much change from $2.99 over the weekend.  (That’s not worth counting as a prediction.)