PROVIDENCE – Although it’s not good news, it’s also not bad news. Gasoline prices remained unchanged this week in Rhode Island after six consecutive weeks of gains, AAA Southern New England reported Monday ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend.
The auto club’s Dec. 20 survey found the average price of self-serve, unleaded regular at Ocean State stations stayed at $3.10 per gallon, 12 cents above the national average of $2.98.
Nationally, 92.3 million Americans are expected to be on the move between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, a 3.1 percent increase year over year.
“The projected increase in travelers over the Christmas holidays augers well for the travel industry and underlies Americans’ growing optimism in the nation’s economic recovery,” said Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Southern New England senior vice president of public and government affairs.
In Massachusetts, the average gas price reached $3.00, adding 1 cent from a week earlier.
Crude oil fell on Monday after the euro weakened against the dollar on concern the region’s debt crisis will spread, curbing the appeal of commodities as an investment, Bloomberg News reported.
Crude oil for January delivery declined 54 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $87.48 a barrel at 11:14 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. January futures expire today. The more active February contract fell 58 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $88.02 a barrel.
“The weakness of the euro is putting some pressure on the oil market,” said Tom Bentz, a broker with BNP Paribas Commodity Futures Inc. in New York to Bloomberg News. “There was no headline in particular that sent us lower.”
In its survey, AAA found prices in Rhode Island ranging from $3.03 to $3.19 per gallon for unleaded regular.
A year ago, gas prices in Rhode Island were $2.63 per gallon, 47 cents lower than today’s average.
At stations in Rhode Island this week, the survey found average self-serve prices of $3.22 per gallon for midgrade unleaded, $3.33 for premium unleaded gasoline, and $3.30 for diesel.
For more information, visit AAA.com
