CSP, September 28, 2026: Gasoline price rises 32 cents in 2 weeks to $4.58 Retailers get skimpy margin recovery

CSP, September 14, 2026: Crude oil prices jump even higher Retailers forfeit half their gasoline margin: Lundberg

CSP, August 24, 2026: Oil prices are up again Pump price is likely to jump soon: Lundberg

CSP, August 11, 2026: Gasoline prices are up again but headed for a fall Retailer margin climbs out of danger zone: Lundberg

CSP, July 27, 2026: Pump prices rise 22 cents per gallon Retailers must hike prices further to survive: Lundberg

CSP, July 14, 2026: Pump price drops 14 cents, retail margin drops 7 cents Is a gasoline price increase forming?: Lundberg

CSP, September 28, 2026: Gasoline price rises 32 cents in 2 weeks to $4.58 Retailers get skimpy margin recovery Sep. 28, 2026 CSPDailyNews.com Article: Pump prices are reaching heady heights. They leaped 32.1 cents per gallon in the past two weeks to a national average of $4.575 for regular grade. This price is within one penny of this year's prior top price point in mid-May. It is $1.30 per gallon higher than its year-ago point. It is also within 52 cents of the country's record high set back in mid-June of 2022 which was $5.10 per gallon. But in the past two weeks, crude oil prices pulled back, dropping several dollars per barrel, especially in the past few days, caused mostly by the possibility that the U.S. and Iran would accomplish a ceasefire agreement. The U.S. administration did not agree to Iran's conditions, so no ceasefire. Other developments contributed in more minor ways to crude oil price declines, including an accord between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey for mutual defense. The agreement, the Mecca Pact, was inspired by the latest and diverse attacks by the Houthi militants to disrupt Saudi and other oil facilities and traffic. This is so far just discussion though. As of press time, the Turkish Parliament has not ratified the pact. If oil prices do not bounce back soon, then some translation into substantial wholesale gasoline price cutting may occur, which may allow for some further retail margin recovery and retail price cutting as well—granting perhaps modest wins for dealers and their motorist customers. In the past two weeks, retail margin regained a paltry 6.4 cents per gallon in the period. It remains acutely low at just 19.9 cents per gallon on regular grade, and many station owners and operators remain under heavy pressure to raise prices on the street. Trilby Lundberg is publisher of the Lundberg Survey of U.S. fuel markets. Lundberg Survey Inc. is based in Camarillo, California. Click here for previous Lundberg Survey reports in CSP Daily News.

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