Gasoline Prices Rise Except on West Coast

ENERGY

Gasoline prices dropped 1.1 cents on the West Coast last week but rose 2 cents nationwide to $1.485 a gallon, the first increase in a month, the government said.

Prices climbed most in the Midwest, where gasoline jumped 4.3 cents on average to $1.457 a gallon, the U.S. Energy Department said in a weekly report. East Coast prices gained 1.2 cents to $1.491 and Gulf Coast gasoline rose 2.3 cents to $1.405. West Coast gasoline fell to $1.593.

The increases primarily reflect recent gains in wholesale gasoline prices and crude-oil costs. Retail prices have declined most of the last three months, reaching an 11-month low two weeks ago, as fuel inventories increased and motorist demand slowed after the summer travel season. Gasoline supplies nationwide are at the highest level since late July.

From Bloomberg News