Rising seasonal demand and higher crude oil prices have resulted in the highest average U.S.gasoline prices in nearly six months, with the national average gas price hitting $3.57 per gallon, up from $3.10 at the start of the year, and higher than a year ago.

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The national average hit a new multi-month high on Thursday morning, rising to $3.57 per gallon, the highest since October 14, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, noted.

The current average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is some 20 cents higher than the $3.352 average one month ago, according to data from AAA, and is 7.2 cents per gallon higher than at this time last year, De Haan added.At this time last year, the national average price was at $3.507 per gallon.

The rise in prices this week follows a week of barely changed prices.

After climbing for four straight weeks, the national average was unchanged on Monday compared to a week ago at $3.51 per gallon, GasBuddy’s De Haan wrote earlier this week. 

“While we seem to be nearing a short-term peak, one word of caution for those in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast: you haven’t yet finished the transition to summer gasoline, so you may experience some sticker shock in a few weeks,” the analyst said.

This week, WTI Crude prices topped $85 per barrel amid signs of tightening global crude supply.Moreover, demand continued to rise with the warmer weather and the Easter weekend.

The EIA’s weekly report on Wednesday showed a draw in gasoline stocks, implying stronger demand.Gasoline inventories shed 4.3 million barrels in the week to March 29, with production averaging 10 million bpd.These figures compared with an inventory build of 1.3 million barrels for the previous week, when production stood at an average of 9.2 million barrels daily.

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Între timp, așa cum sa raportat anterior, JPM vede petrolul crește la 100 USD sau mai mult dacă Rusia nu reușește să sporească producția.Un astfel de rezultat ar fi catastrofal pentru Biden în lunile dinaintea alegerilor prezidențiale și, potrivit strategului JPM în materie de mărfuri, Natash Kaneva, ocupantul senil al Casei Albe ar putea scurge mai mult petrol din SPR-ul deja epuizat care la începutul acestei săptămâni el a spus că nu va mai umple deoarece prețurile petrolului crescuseră prea mult.JPMorgan estimează că administrația Biden "are spațiu politic pentru a elibera până la 60 de milioane de barili de țiței, sporind oferta cu 0,5 mbd pe lună, dacă este repartizată pe patru luni.”

Modul în care Biden va învârti o mișcare atât de clar politică ca o urgență națională nu este clar-poate avea nevoie să înceapă un alt război sau două-dar este aproape sigur că va încerca.