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(CNN) — Gasoline prices rose more than 15 cents in the past two weeks, the result of rising crude oil prices, according to a survey published Sunday.The average national price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline was at 2.6442, the August 7 Lundberg survey found, an increase of 15.83 cents from two weeks ago.The increase results from a full month of higher crude oil prices, said survey publisher Trilby Lundberg.”Both oil and gasoline prices are about where they were back in late June,” Lundberg said. However, “as far as pump price hikes, this is probably it for a while, if crude oil stays put,” she said.Gasoline demand is down so far this month, she said. Job losses have resulted in fewer commuters on the road, and the summer demand season is short-lived.The August 7 price is about 1.20 below gas prices a year ago, she said.The city with the lowest average price in the survey was Charleston, South Carolina, at 2.38 per gallon of unleaded. The highest was Honolulu, Hawaii, at 3.07.Here are the average prices in some other cities:– Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2.47– Atlanta, Georgia, 2.50– Salt Lake City, Utah, 2.55– Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2.59– Boston, Massachusetts, 2.65– Portland, Oregon, 2.71– Los Angeles, California, 2.99

Source:CNN

ATLANTA (CNN) — Gasoline prices fell more than 7 cents a gallon over the past two weeks, despite a rise in crude oil prices, according to a survey published Sunday.The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline at metropolitan-area stations was 2.4859, the Lundberg Survey found — a decline of 7.14 cents from two weeks ago. That drop came despite an 8-per-gallon rise in the price of crude oil in that period, said survey publisher Trilby Lundberg.”The price would have risen instead of falling … if not for profit-margin losses for refiners and retailers,” she said. “Both refiners and gasoline retailers failed to pass through the higher oil prices and instead took cuts in their own margins.”Poor demand for gasoline because of rising unemployment was one reason the refiners and retailers absorbed the cuts, she said.But she added they “can’t hold out forever.”"They will need to pass on to consumers through the system at least a dime’s worth of oil price pressure,” she said.”I think that it will be soon,” she added. “For example, even if crude prices slip back slightly I think we can expect a gentle rise in retail gasoline,” both because of the current thin market levels and the usual lag time for price rises to work through the system.In fact, the daily gas price survey conducted for motorist group AAA has shown the national average for regular has risen the past five days. On Sunday, it was up 1.1 cents to 2.492 a gallon.The current prices are 1.51 per gallon below where they were a year ago, Lundberg said. On July 29, 2008, the average price was 3.9959 a gallon, down from that summer’s peak of 4.1124.The city with the lowest average price in the latest survey was Jackson, Miss., with 2.22 a gallon for regular self-serve. The highest average was in Honolulu, at 3.03, Lundberg said.Here are the average prices in some other cities: Houston, 2.29; Tucson, Ariz., 2.30; Little Rock, Ark., 2.33; Atlanta, 2.35; Cleveland, 2.40; Detroit, 2.43; Minneapolis, 2.49; Hartford, Conn., 2.55; Portland, Ore., 2.60; San Diego, 2.76.

Source:CNN

(CNN) — Despite travelers taking to the road for vacations and the Independence Day weekend coming up, gasoline prices in the United States are unchanged from two weeks ago, according to a survey published Sunday.The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular is 2.66, according to the Lundberg Survey — the same average price the survey found earlier in June. By contrast, a year ago the survey found drivers paying 4.10 for regular gas on June 20, 2008 — 1.44 more than the current average. Last summer’s average prices peaked in July at 4.11 for a gallon of regular gasoline.The lack of movement in current prices is due to two factors, according to survey publisher Trilby Lundberg.”Prices are stuck because the weak dollar won’t let crude oil prices fall much, and weak oil demand won’t let it climb much,” she said.One factor affecting demand is unemployment in the United States, she said.”With so many unemployed motorists, commuter driving is down considerably, let alone recreational driving,” Lundberg said, adding that worldwide crude oil prices are holding in a narrow range of 68-71 per barrel.The June 26 survey, which tallied prices at thousands of gas stations nationwide, found the current lowest average in Wichita, Kansas, at 2.40 per gallon. The highest average was in San Francisco, California, at 3.02.Here are average prices in some other U.S. cities:– Houston, Texas – 2.46– St. Louis, Missouri – 2.51– Atlanta, Georgia – 2.56– Boston, Massachusetts – 2.67– Boise, Idaho – 2.74– Chicago, Illinois – 2.88– Baton Rouge, Louisiana – 2.53

Source:CNN

NEW YORK: Gas prices have risen for 50 days in a row and the pain at the pump is taking a toll on household budgets across the nation. Nationwide, gas prices now average 2.679, motorist group AAA said Wednesday. Prices have risen every day since April 29, when the national average stood at 2.05 a gallon. Drivers in every U.S. state, with the exception of South Carolina, now pay an average of at least 2.50 a gallon. In the Palmetto State, gas averages 2.49 a gallon. The runup in gas prices comes at a time when drivers are already struggling with record high unemployment and an abysmal housing market. “The rise is gas prices is putting a large dent into our household budget at a time when we are already feeling some pain,” said Michael Clark, a technologies business analyst in Phoenix. Clark, who said prices at his local station have gone up more than 90 cents since May, was recently asked by his employer to accept a 15% pay cut. “I do not understand how the stock market can be up and the price of oil rising when everybody I know is hurting so badly,” he said. Many economists worry that consumers like Clark will be forced to cut back on spending on other items to make up for higher pump prices. That could pose a serious threat to the already battered economy, since consumer spending makes up the bulk of U.S. economic activity. The spike in gas prices comes on the back of a surge in the price of crude oil, which is the main ingredient in retail gasoline.The price of oil has more than doubled since late December, climbing from a low of 33.87 a barrel to more than 70 recently. Meanwhile, gas prices have followed a similar trajectory, jumping more than 1 a gallon over the same time period. Oil prices have been driven higher as investors bet the world’s once-robust demand for energy is poised for a rebound. However, many analysts say the recent runup is overdone, and that oil prices at current levels are not justified based on sound economic fundamentals. Has the rebound in gas prices caused you financial hardship? Are you spending less on other items to help with the cost of driving? Have you postponed summer driving plans? We want to hear your experiences. E-mail your story to realstories@cnnmoney.com and you could be part of an upcoming article. For the CNNMoney.com Comment Policy, click here.

NEW YORK: Gas prices continue to surge nationwide, and are now up more than 27% in the past seven and a half weeks.The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline rose 1.4 cents Saturday to 2.606, according to motorist group AAA. This is the thirty-ninth consecutive daily increase in the price of gas. In just the past week, prices have increased nearly 5%.Prices were highest in the state of Michigan, at 2.92 a gallon, AAA reported. They were cheapest in South Carolina, at an average of 2.391 a gallon. 0:00
/1:11Gas spikes mid-recessionGas prices have been steadily rising since early December, when the national average was around 1.60 a gallon. But despite the recent rise, gas prices are still well below year-ago levels of 3.986 a gallon and last year’s all-time high of 4.114 a gallon.But some are concerned that prices will continue to rise. Part of that has to do with the usual increase in demand for gas during the summer months. In addition, rising hopes of a U.S. economic rebound have helped push oil prices higher as the dollar has weakened against other currencies. A weaker greenback tends to push up the price of oil since oil is traded in dollars around the world.Oil prices briefly traded at a 6-month high of above 70 a barrel Friday, before edging lower. Crude prices closed at 68.44 a barrel.

Source:CNN

NEW YORK: The rising price of gasoline is putting pressure on cash-strapped motorists and throwing barricades into the path of a speedy economic recovery.The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas edged up to 2.467 on Friday, from 2.449 the day before, according to motorist group AAA.That marks the 31st consecutive increase. In that one-month period, the average price of gas jumped 41.9 cents a gallon, or more than 20%.That surge is causing concern for drivers as the summer driving season gets underway.0:00
/2:24Summer pump jumpAmericans are already dealing with high unemployment and a collapsing housing market. If gas prices continue to climb at their heady rates, Americans who are living “paycheck to paycheck” could put the brakes on their plans to tool around this summer, crimping some of the government’s efforts to pull the economy out of recession, said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service.”There’s way too much optimism about a driving season lift,” said Kloza, who believes that higher prices, in conjunction with the recession, will dampen the typical summer travel surge.Kloza said the impact will be especially painful in economic “sore spots” like California, Florida, Arizona and the rural South. Gas is particularly expensive in California, where the average price is 2.701 a gallon. In Arizona, the average price is less expensive, at 2.357 a gallon.Currently, the highest gas prices are in Alaska, where prices average 2.747 per gallon. The cheapest gas can be found in South Carolina, where the average is 2.283 a gallon. Despite the recent surge, the average price of a gallon of gas remains 40% below its all-time peak of 4.114 on July 17, 2008. But the repercussions of that peak are still being felt.Kloza said that drivers are more likely to focus on the recent increases, than to feel relieved that gas prices are off their 2008 peak. “People are crazy when it comes to the price of gasoline,” he said. “Nothing has quite the emotional component than gas prices do.” Last year’s gas price spike also severely hampered demand for SUVs and trucks, hastening the downward spiral for the Big Three automakers. Chrysler filed for bankruptcy on April 30 and is awaiting a ruling from a federal judge as to whether it may sell its assets and form a new company. General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) is expected to file for bankruptcy next week and its stock price is trading below 1 a share for the first time since the Great Depression.