The national average price of a gallon of diesel was unchanged from last week, according to weekly figures from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The DOE's Energy Information Administration reports that the weekly retail on-highway diesel price averaged $3.067, the same as last week. The largest change in price came in the Rocky Mountain region, where prices rose by 1.3 cents. The highest overall prices were in the West Coast region at $3.242. The lowest were in the Gulf Coast region at $2.982.
Oil prices, meanwhile, rose Monday after a number of reports pointed to improving economic growth in the U.S. Crude oil rose to $82.95 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Monday. If these prices stay higher, we could expect fuel prices to rise within a few weeks.
The Institute for Supply Management reported Monday that U.S. manufacturing activity expanded last month at the fastest pace since May. Another report that caused optimism among traders was one showing construction spending inched higher in September.
