U.S. average gasoline prices fell -8.5¢ WoW to $2.95 per gallon (–6.9¢ MoM; –5.4¢ YoY), marking the lowest national reading since May 2021 as softer crude prices and steady refinery operations continued to weigh on retail fuel costs.

• Diesel prices declined -5.5¢ WoW to $3.72 per gallon, showing continued easing in distillate markets despite wide regional dispersion.

• WTI crude traded at $58.91 per barrel (+36¢ on the day but down from $60.35 last Monday), while Brent rose to $62.80 (+42¢ but below last Monday’s $64.63), reflecting mixed sentiment around OPEC’s pause in 2026 output increases and geopolitical risks.

• U.S. crude inventories rose +2.8M barrels and remain about 4 percent below seasonal norms; gasoline stocks increased +2.5M barrels (still 3 percent below the five year average), while distillates rose +1.1M barrels (5 percent below average).

• Refinery utilization climbed 2.3 ppts to 92.3 percent, and implied gasoline demand increased +199k bpd to 8.726M bpd, signaling firm holiday season consumption.

• The most common gas price remained $2.99 per gallon, while the median slipped to $2.83 (about 12¢ below the national average), showing broad downward pressure across the distribution of prices.

• State-level dispersion remained large, with Oklahoma ($2.33), Colorado ($2.49), and Mississippi ($2.50) the lowest, and California ($4.51), Hawaii ($4.35), and Washington ($4.09) the highest.

• Diesel prices followed a similar pattern, with the median at $3.66 per gallon (–3¢ WoW) and the most common price at $3.79, while Texas ($3.19) and Mississippi/Louisiana ($3.29) remained the cheapest.