After crude futures turned negative in Q2, there seemed only one direction for prices to go – up! AIRINC’s quarterly comparison of petrol pump prices from Q2 to Q4 shows that prices in most researched countries increased, particularly our top five as ranked by percent increase: Zimbabwe, Suriname, Canada, Ethiopia, and Malaysia. For some, this is a cost-driven change; for others, this is a reflection of currency adjustments.
June 1 marked a day of changing times in Venezuela. The price of gasoline in the country has been among the lowest in the world for decades, and in recent years, currency depreciation has made the resource practically free.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a historic drop in demand for petroleum products. In addition to reduction of fuel use for air and sea transport, on-road passenger travel has been impacted as consumers are driving significantly shorter distances and less often.
Global gasoline prices fell this quarter compared with our data from six months ago. Oil prices hit a recent high in early October but have fallen sharply since. US crude, for example, had its weakest month in a decade as the price plummeted 22% in November.
While the world average price of gas has dropped from 1.43 USD per liter in 2014 to 1.17 USD per liter in 2018, prices have been trending upward in many countries including the Middle East, where gas prices typically see little change.
Countries that rely heavily on oil resources to drive prosperity have long understood the challenge of government funding amid volatile global commodity prices.
While the world average price of gas has dropped from 1.43 USD per liter in 2014 to 1.05 USD per liter in 2017, prices have been trending upward in many countries in the Middle East.
