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- 26 Sep
Retail fuel margins dip but finish quarter strong
The OPIS report today revealed that the average retail fuel margin across the US dipped $0.026 to $0.241 per gallon. That is $0.041 per gallon below the equivalent week last year. However, the retail fuel finished up $0.03 per gallon since the beginning of September.
The third quarter average finished at a strong $0.240 per gallon, compared to $0.169 in Q2 and $0.158 in Q1. In 2013 the average for Q3 was $0.207 per gallon across the US.
From a fuels pricing perspective, a strong quarterly margin paired with a traditionally strong volume quarter means retail fuelers had a profitable quarter. We should look for that in the financial results that come in the next few months.
What can we expect in the remaining part of the year? Looking back to 2013, we saw October finish only $0.006 below the start of the month. But the outlook is for falling prices this year, with some calling for many states to dip below $3.00 per gallon, and traditionally when we see falling prices, we see rising margins. Let’s hope so.
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