This page is filled with great information on the math behind gasoline prices, the stats of hikes, days they are most likely to occur, and the data behind why prices rise and fall. This information is about as raw as it gets, meaning it is hard to understand for some who haven’t looked at it before. We’re posting it to show what we do to try and win “The Gas Game”.
First of all, see how Ed calculates the expected price. It is a formula that takes in many numbers from different sources.
Secondly, see what day a gas price hike is most likely. Ed’s data reflects over six years experience of monitoring gas prices.
Third, try and read the Weekly Petroleum Status Report from the Department of Energy. This report can greatly effect local prices and market prices. It is released typically on Wednesday mornings at 10:35am Eastern Time.
If you aren’t bored yet, another good summary of a week’s petroleum usage is the data report “This Week In Petroleum” (Gasoline Section). It is raw numbers, graphs, and data from the nation’s oil companies and refiners. It contains some of the same information found in the WPS report.
Some other good information and data about gas prices can be found on gasoline retailer’s own websites. Some retailers even list their current fuel prices at some of their stations. Some that do this are Speedway, Pilot, and Flying J. Definitely monitor many stations across the country for a large snapshot!
All of these pages that are listed are a GREAT source of information for why gasoline prices go up and down. The government reports especially play in to prices. After the reports are released, traders read them and see if there are any surprises. Before the reports are released, traders are typically polled to check their expectations of the governments report. If the report is worse than expected, traders buy oil and gasoline contracts, and wholesale prices rise. If the report is better than expected, traders sell oil and gasoline contracts, and wholesale prices fall. This is part of the reason why most gas price hikes are Thursday: the report is released Wednesday, traders react, and pump prices either rise the following day or they remain the same or fall if the report is good.
Today’s Grand Rapids Gas Price Trend:
Some more good resources to check out:
Oil and Gasoline News from MarketWatch | Speaking of Oil with Tom Kloza | Energy Information Administration | AXXIS Petroleum- Price Services | List of U.S. Oil Refineries, Capacity and Location | U.S. Refinery Expansion Plans/Updates | Michigan Gasoline/Product Pipeline
Helpful Images:
Areas where RFG (Reformulated Gasoline) are required by the EPA
More information and links to data may be posted here at any time, so stay tuned! In addition, if you have any good information/stats/data that you think should be added here, e-mail Patrick. The address is on the left side of the main index page.