Gas prices may rise at the pump by Christmas due to Y2K

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The title line is based on my best memory of a quote from an interview on NBC's Today this morning. I had it on and was getting ready for the day so I didn't have my full attention on the TV, so this is the best I can give. They had some type of oil industry analyst on and the general topic was the trend in gas prices at the pump.

Asked about Y2K, the concern was large numbers of people stocking up in anticipation. This means that on the oil market, the price of crude oil may be bid up early in anticipation resulting in higher prices at the pump.

I was expecting gas lines after Xmas as everyone tried to follow the advice to keep there tanks above 1/2 tank, resulting in many more visits to the pump, but not really an increase in consumption.

Just wondering if large numbers of people have additional gas cans that would appear to the distribution system as a spike in consumption as they try to fill them? Although on reflection, if everyone suddenly (at the same time) keeps on average more gas in their tanks, this could appear the same way.

Mikey2k

-- Mikey2k (mikey2k@he.wont.eat.it), September 03, 1999

Answers

I'm already paying $1.71 a gallon. (Price dropped by nine cents this week woohoo!)

-- R (riversoma@aol.com), September 03, 1999.

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