As other parts of the economy are roiled by crisis, gas prices are holding steady. The national average price for gasoline fell four cents to $3.43 per gallon last week, according to AAA's weekly survey.
That is four cents higher than a month ago but 80 cents less than a year ago. In the meantime, demand for gasoline is surging.
“We may be seeing a return to seasonal trends in demand with warmer weather and longer days,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson, in a press release.“But waffling oil prices could mitigate any increase at the pump for now.”
New data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed that gas demand jumped from 8.59 million to 8.96 million barrels per day last week. The surge in demand drew down U.S. gasoline stocks by 6.4 million barrels.
In most cases, higher demand from drivers would push up the price of gasoline, but lower oil prices have helped keep prices down.
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
Climate change doesn’t just mean more extreme weather – it also leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity, tourism, and stresses infrastructure.
It’s an annual tradition: the Fed’s banking ‘stress test.’ A year after the regional banking crisis, there are good reasons to make sure they’re prepped.
Summer is upon us, which means weddings, trips overseas, and trips to see Taylor Swift. Avoid a “Cruel Summer” with these budget-friendly tips and tricks.
