Gas prices have hit a five-year high.
As of June, gas prices have hit a five-year high. The average motorist will be paying $5 per gallon at the pump. This is the highest price since 2014 and represents a 65 cent increase since January alone.
A number of factors have contributed to this shift in prices, including an unexpected rise in oil prices worldwide and an increase in demand for fuel as more people drive over the summer months. While it’s unclear how long these increases will last, it’s important to know what you can do to reduce your gasoline expenses and save money while reducing reliance on fossil fuels:
The price surge has come with almost no warning.
There is no way to predict the future, which is why we’re all so eager to hear from Nostradamus. But there are a few things we can be sure of: gas prices will go up and down, and they’ll do so in ways that surprise us.
Gas prices are determined by many factors, including the price of oil, weather conditions, and the amount of people buying gas at any given time (which affects how much inventory should be stocked). If you see your price going up or down right now—or if you’re surprised by anything else related to your tank—it’s hard not to wonder what’s causing it. Perhaps there’s an explanation out there! Unfortunately…
OPEC’s latest meeting to discuss production quotas caught many by surprise.
OPEC is an organization that meets regularly to discuss production quotas for member countries. OPEC stands for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and it was founded in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Since then, Qatar has joined; Algeria and Nigeria have rejoined; Indonesia has left; Ecuador and Gabon have been suspended from membership; Angola has withdrawn from OPEC; and Ecuador rejoined in 2019.
The latest meeting of OPEC took place on June 23-24 in Vienna. According to reports on Reuters [link], Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told reporters during this conference that he wants to keep oil prices at $70-$80 per barrel as long as possible.
Venezuela is struggling under the weight of an economic crisis that’s causing gas shortages and rolling power blackouts.
Venezuela is going through an economic crisis. The collapse in oil prices has been devastating, and this has exacerbated existing problems like rampant inflation and high crime rates. This year alone, Venezuela has seen its currency lose half its value against the dollar, with further devaluations expected to come as their government struggles to pay off debts to foreign creditors who have lost faith in the country’s ability to repay them.
The crisis is now causing gas shortages and rolling power blackouts: Venezuela relies heavily on oil exports for revenue—the country produces about 2 million barrels per day—but since it doesn’t have much else going for it economically, that means lots of money leaving the country every day when those exports leave port (or get shipped across borders). So as demand for fuel increases domestically due to higher car ownership rates among other things (more people have cars than ever before), there’s less revenue coming back into Venezuela from abroad thanks not just to lower global oil prices but also because those same lower prices are making it harder for other countries’ economies too! And if you look up “Venezuela” on Google News right now then you’ll see headlines like “Venezuela runs out of gas” or “Venezuela announces rolling power blackouts amid lack of electricity supply” which makes total sense because how could there possibly be enough gasoline available right now unless everyone stopped driving around everywhere all together?
Political turmoil in Libya has caused the country’s oil production to plummet by more than half.
Political turmoil in Libya has caused the country’s oil production to plummet by more than half. According to Reuters, Libya’s oil output is expected to fall from 1 million barrels per day (bpd) to 400,000 bpd. The country is currently producing around 460,000 bpd, according to OPEC data from December 2018 and February 2019. This means that Libya’s output has been cut by more than half since then.
Russia has recently decided to ramp up its sanctions against Ukraine, a major energy transit route for the rest of Europe.
The recent rise in gas prices is due to Russia’s decision to ramp up its sanctions against Ukraine, a major energy transit route for the rest of Europe. The Ukrainian government has been trying to negotiate with Russia over an increase in gas prices. However, it seems that Russia is not willing to come up with a solution until later this year (if at all). This means that Ukraine may be forced to look elsewhere for supplies, which could mean less exports for Russia and thus higher prices for other countries.
On top of this, there is also talk about building pipelines from the east Mediterranean region through Turkey and into Europe. This would allow European states such as Greece and Italy easier access to cheaper natural gas from areas like Qatar or Iran—and possibly even Iraq if diplomatic relations improve between Baghdad and Washington DC.
The recent global disruption in oil supply is causing pain at American gas pumps.
The recent global disruption in oil supply is causing pain at American gas pumps. This has an even larger impact on those that drive for a living. Companies such as Doordash and Uber have not raised their pay to compensate for the increased gas expense in most areas, causing more hardship for those that depend on these companies for a living.
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