Sunday, April 6, 2025, 12 Noon: I am back from a trip to Southern California, home of $4+ gasoline. And things have been kind of crazy in Midwestern Gas Game land.
First, we had a Sunday hike a week ago, to $3.39. What happened there? Wholesale prices jumped a bit at the end of March, as the “summer gas” mix continues to kick in. It appeared to me that generally this hike occurred across west Michigan, and for whatever reason, our retailer friends didn’t want to wait until Monday. That happens every few years.
Then, late Wednesday, President Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs, and if The Gas Game was a board game, it was like someone knocked the board off of the table in frustration. You probably heard on the news about stocks selling off hard, but a related story was that oil prices did the same. Wednesday’s quote was $71.71 a barrel. At the close Friday, 13% lower to $62.72, which is the lowest it has been since April 2021. Back then, prices were in the $2.80’s and $2.90’s, and that’s where we are going again. (Prediction!)
But how do we get there? Driving around the Grand Rapids area on Sunday morning, I spotted $3.39 and $3.25 on Plainfield Avenue and $3.09 off of I-96 in Walker. Gas Buddy spotters have noticed some prices below $3 today. Look around for bargains like that. -EA
Saw a Circle K selling for $2.759 ($2.659 if you use easy pay) in West Chester, Ohio yesterday