Mo. gas prices drop to fifth lowest in US

Missouri’s average gas price fell nearly 13 cents during the past week to $1.94 per gallon yesterday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 3,940 filling stations statewide.

Including an additional 1-cent drop this morning, the Show-Me State now ranks No. 5 on GasBuddy’s list of the lowest gas averages in the nation. South Carolina tops the list with its $1.90 average, while a $2.89 price point put Hawaii at the bottom.

The U.S. gas average fell 5 cents during the past week to $2.16 per gallon on Sunday, according to a news release

As of yesterday, Missouri’s average was 20.5 cents lower than a month ago and 75.3 cents lower than a year ago. The national average has dropped 11.4 cents in the past month and 72.1 cents in the past year.

"Terrorism and other geopolitical events always have the potential to bring havoc to Wall Street, but early signs suggest that financial market reactions are subdued," said Gregg Laskoski, GasBuddy's senior petroleum analyst for the Northeast, in the release. "That means Friday's events are not likely to be what drives the direction of crude oil, and market fundamentals can be expected to push retail gasoline prices lower in the U.S.

“We're already seeing that as the national average today is 6 cents lower from a week ago and wholesale prices are also significantly lower.”

This morning in Missouri, the lowest price for gas was available for $1.59 per gallon at a station in Oakville, near St. Louis. The highest price was $2.99 per gallon in east St. Louis, according to MissouriGasPrices.com.

In Springfield, the lowest price was $1.84 per gallon, available at both Sam’s Club stores and at the Signal station at 960 S. Glenstone Ave.

As of 10:37 a.m., West Texas Intermediate crude oil was trading at $40.15 per barrel, compared to a 52-week range of $39.22 to $77.69. Light sweet crude oil futures for December were trading at $40.16.