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[IP] and question more on gasoline price history

So where is the gold ending up with the rapid rise? Who is really making the gold. 

djf

Begin forwarded message:

From: Simon Higgs <simon@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: August 30, 2005 5:51:13 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] more on gasoline price history


At 01:56 PM 8/30/2005, you wrote:
There's another factor driving the retail gas prices at the pumps. In other parts of the country, prices are under the national average. However, there is no incentive whatsoever for any petroleum company to remain under the national average for any length of time. I have a reliable source from a discount gas retailer who informs me that their currently mandated retail practice is to blindly follow the national average while it increases. What this does in practice is to push the price of gas up from the bottom. Let's say that this chain charges $2.25, when CNN announces that the national average is $2.30. The chain will now put it's prices up to match the national average. Which, of course, pushes up the national average and the whole thing repeats as often as the market can bear it.
I'll throw in another "factor". I would hypothesis (I have no real information to back this up other than a couple of road trips where I noticed this happening) that mainly republican areas have cheap gas and democratic areas have more expensive gas. Maybe overlaying the red/blue/purple election return maps over maps of retail gas prices will reveal something interesting for an anti-trust lawyer. 

Simon



Begin forwarded message:

From: Jude Shavlik <shavlik@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: August 30, 2005 1:06:26 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] gasoline price history




Despite the recent price rises of gasoline in the US, gas is still
cheap if you consider inflation




Since increases in the price of oil are a big driver of inflation,
isn't it a bit circular and misleading to then adjust gas prices for
inflation?

Does anyone know what fraction of inflation over the last N years
can be attributed to the price of oil?
It would be interesting to see a constant-dollars plot of historical
gas prices
corrected for the impact of oil prices on inflation.

      Jude Shavlik
      Computer Sciences Dept
      Univ of Wisconsin - Madison




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Best Regards,

Simon Higgs



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