Diesel Gains a Dime in Second Weekly Rise

Diesel prices continued to rise for the second week in a row, gaining 10.5 cents to land at $2.705 on Monday

, according to the Department of Energy. Last week, diesel experienced its first jump in six weeks, with a boost of 1.8 cents.

Prior to the increases, diesel prices had fallen 9.2 cents since the end of August. This week's average is still 77.7 cents below the level during the same week last year, when it was $3.482.

California led the pack with the highest average price of diesel at $2.874, followed by the Central Atlantic and West Coast regions, at $2.831 and $2.822, respectively. The Gulf Coast and Lower Atlantic regions saw the lowest prices this week, at $2.644 and $2.664, respectively.

The price of gasoline was also up for the second week in a row, rising 8.5 cents this week to $2.574 on average. Last week, the fuel saw its first rise in almost two months. This week's average is still 34 cents below the price during the same week last year.

Meanwhile, crude oil prices have been trending upward since last week, hitting record high after high for the year. At the close of trading on Monday, oil settled at $79.61, the highest close since Oct. 13, 2008, according to CNNMoney.com.

According to the news service, Monday's jump in oil prices mirrored the positive performance in the U.S. stock market, including the Dow Jones industrial average gaining about 100 points around closing time. Oil has also been trending upward as a result of the weakness in the U.S. dollar, CNNMoney.com reports.