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San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Prices of eggs and gas are down. Does Trump deserve credit, or is something else going on?
President Donald Trump ran on promises to bring down prices for Americans. Today, prices of eggs and gas are down from their peaks of the past few years. Can he take credit? Nope, experts say. In both cases, prices were expected to come down as external factors abated. There's no compelling, recently implemented federal policy that had much impact on either commodity. First, let's look at the numbers. A year ago, the average national price of a gallon of unleaded gas was $3.47, according to AAA, and $4.88 a gallon in California. So far this month, the average price is $3.14 a gallon nationally and $4.77 in California. (Gas prices are higher in California for a combination of reasons, including regulatory issues, the special type of gas required to be sold here, and the highest gasoline taxes in the country.) • Got money questions? Here's how to send them to our California budgeting advice columnist. Doug Johnson, a spokesperson for AAA Northern California, said gas industry experts predicted prices were going to come down this year 'no matter who would've won the 2024 election.' Egg prices have fluctuated a lot since the most recent bird flu outbreak began in 2022. A year ago, the average price of a dozen eggs was $2.35. Prices skyrocketed from $2.11 in October to an all-time high of $8.17 a dozen in March. As of this week, the average price has dropped to $2.54 a dozen — only 8% higher than a year ago — and is likely to continue dropping as bird flu detections decline. 'Eggs have come down 400%,' Trump declared, wrongly, in a White House interview on Fox News. Going from $8.17 to $2.54 would work out to a 68.9% decrease. 'Price of eggs has dropped 61% since Trump took office,' declared Fox Business in a piece comparing January and June egg prices. A headline on the right-wing news and opinion site Daily Caller said, 'Grocery Prices See Biggest Drop In 5 Years As Trump's Policies Take Effect.' But, again, experts say Trump's policies aren't driving the price decreases. So what actually is behind them? Why gas prices have come down in California Gas is down 13 cents a gallon just from last week in the Bay Area, said Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for cost comparison website GasBuddy. That's more than the drop we've seen at the national level — only 2 cents compared with the previous week. Most of the recent drop here is because refinery issues in California have begun to resolve, De Haan said. However, refinery repairs are ongoing, so the decline may be only temporary, he added. Though Trump ran on 'drill, baby, drill' and his administration has discussed opening public lands for oil and gas drilling, federal policy takes a long time to work its way to the price at the pump, De Haan said. 'It really takes years for those types of policies to have a broad significant impact,' he said. Both California and national gas prices are up from January, when Trump took office. Why eggs are getting cheaper again Though the current bird flu outbreak, now in its third year, is not over, it's not as bad as it was at the start of 2025. Detections of bird flu in commercial and backyard flocks have decreased by a lot, which is part of the reason egg prices have dropped, said Daniel Sumner, a professor of agricultural economics at UC Davis. This isn't the first time bird flu has hit chicken farms in the United States. The most recent outbreak was in 2015. Like ebola, bird flu is endemic, Sumner said: Somewhere in the world, there's always a wild bird that is carrying the virus. What's different about this outbreak is how long it's lasted. Often, like many pandemics humans have faced before, an outbreak hits and then fades away. That hasn't been the case yet with this incidence of bird flu. Bird flu was first detected in a flock in Dubois, Ind., in February 2022. A year ago, when eggs were $2.35 a dozen, there were 12 confirmed bird flu detections in the U.S. The virus was detected more frequently in commercial and backyard flocks throughout late 2024 and early 2025: 16 in October, 62 detections in November, 122 in December, a peak of 133 in January. When bird flu is detected in a flock, even if it's found in only one chicken, industry practice dictates that the entire flock should be culled — agriculture-speak for killed. Some of those flocks consist of thousands, even millions, of birds. That has translated into a grim toll: More than 174 million poultry, including commercially farmed chicken and backyard flocks, have died or been killed because of bird flu, according to a CDC estimate. The abrupt drop in supply contributes to price increases. However, only 12 instances of bird flu were detected in May 2025, according to the USDA, and the agency said it hasn't been detected in any flock in California since February. Members of the Trump administration laid out a number of potential policy changes to tackle the bird flu epidemic: increasing imports, boosting biosecurity and exploring vaccination. Sumner dismissed the foreign imports as 'publicity' and said the other suggestions haven't been put into effect at a broad scale since Trump took office. 'There have been no significant changes to egg policy,' he said. The other two pieces of the pricing puzzle relate to how grocery stores get eggs to put on the shelves and how egg demand works compared with other products. Grocery stores typically have contracts with specific farms to get their eggs, Sumner said. If the egg farmer can't perform — in other words, if they have no eggs to sell because they've culled their herd because of an outbreak — the contract usually lets the retailer find another source for eggs. So grocery store chains have been able to use alternative providers. At the same time, farmers that did have to cull their herds have now had enough time to restart their flocks: Chickens can begin laying eggs when they're around 4 months old. Egg demand is typically known as inelastic — it doesn't change much. That's because there aren't a ton of good substitutes for eggs, Sumner said. Though bird flu can hit a flock of chickens being raised for meat as easily as it can hit a flock of egg-layers, we haven't seen the same price surge in chicken breasts and thighs as we have for eggs. Sumner said to think of the difference like this: If chicken meat goes up in price, grocery shoppers will swap in pork, beef, beans, tofu or other protein sources. But it's tricky to find a suitable one-to-one substitute for eggs in a baking recipe or an omelette. That's part of why shoppers have been so sensitive to the price of eggs. That said, persistent high prices have curbed some of America's appetite for eggs. A recent report on the egg market from the USDA described consumer demand as 'lackluster' and 'sluggish.' People have found alternatives. This year, Sumner said, his grandchildren's Easter eggs were the plastic variety.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gas prices 'among the cheapest in nearly a decade' to start summer, analyst says
Canada's gas price average fell by 5.4 cents per litre of regular fuel this week, according to data from Kalibrate. The break from recent gains mirrors price action in the United States, where a leading analyst says rates at the pump are "among the cheapest in nearly a decade" when adjusting for inflation. The Canadian average price fell from $1.492 per litre to $1.438 between May 22 and May 29, led by declines in Vancouver, Kelowna, B.C., and Sarnia, Ont. At this time last year, the national average price was $1.688. The U.S. Memorial Day holiday is considered the unofficial start to the summer driving season in North America. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, says while prices did not fall as much as expected, the holiday was still one of the most affordable for drivers since 2021. "When adjusted for inflation, [it was] among the cheapest in nearly a decade,' he wrote in a blog post. 'As we move into the heart of summer, I believe we're likely to see a relatively stable stretch for gas prices as refinery maintenance wraps up." De Haan sees OPEC+ production commentary and growing uncertainty around the looming hurricane season in the U.S. Gulf region shaping prices in the weeks ahead. According to a report from Reuters, OPEC+ members may discuss a larger output increase in July compared to gains prior months at its meeting on Saturday. The potential additional supply could weigh on benchmark oil prices. Follow Yahoo Finance Canada for more weekly gas price updates. Scroll below to find your nearest city. (All figures in CAD cents) Location May. 22 May 29 Price Change Canada Average (V) 149.2 143.8 -5.4 WHITEHORSE 161.9 161.9 0 VANCOUVER* 183 167 -16 VICTORIA 176.2 181.5 5.3 PRINCE GEORGE 136.2 140.9 4.7 KAMLOOPS 150 152.9 2.9 KELOWNA 152.7 142.6 -10.1 FORT ST. JOHN 149.9 145.4 -4.5 ABBOTSFORD 172.4 160.8 -11.6 YELLOWKNIFE 144.7 134.9 -9.8 CALGARY* 137.2 131 -6.2 RED DEER 134.3 134.5 0.2 EDMONTON 134.9 130.7 -4.2 LETHBRIDGE 124.7 124.6 -0.1 LLOYDMINSTER 130.6 133.5 2.9 GRANDE PRAIRIE 131.1 137.9 6.8 REGINA* 134.9 134.8 -0.1 SASKATOON 135.6 135.6 0 PRINCE ALBERT 132.2 132.3 0.1 MOOSE JAW 135.7 135.7 0 WINNIPEG * 134.1 131.7 -2.4 BRANDON 127.6 131.7 4.1 CITY OF TORONTO* 139.4 135.4 -4 BRAMPTON 139.1 134.9 -4.2 ETOBICOKE 138.9 134.9 -4 MISSISSAUGA 138.8 134.1 -4.7 NORTH YORK 139.6 135.5 -4.1 SCARBOROUGH 139.4 135 -4.4 VAUGHAN/MARKHAM 139.3 135.1 -4.2 OTTAWA 138.9 133.2 -5.7 KINGSTON 132.6 128.8 -3.8 PETERBOROUGH 131.1 126.8 -4.3 WINDSOR 138.3 133.1 -5.2 LONDON 139.7 135.5 -4.2 SUDBURY 136.7 138.8 2.1 SAULT STE MARIE 128.3 128.3 0 THUNDER BAY 138.8 138.3 -0.5 NORTH BAY 131.4 136.8 5.4 TIMMINS 146.9 144.7 -2.2 HAMILTON 136.2 131.8 -4.4 ST. CATHARINES 135.9 129.8 -6.1 BARRIE 138.7 134.5 -4.2 BRANTFORD 132.8 128.4 -4.4 GUELPH 138.2 134.8 -3.4 KITCHENER 137.4 133.6 -3.8 OSHAWA 138.6 134.4 -4.2 SARNIA 134.8 124.4 -10.4 MONTRÉAL* 163.6 159.3 -4.3 QUÉBEC 156 155.3 -0.7 SHERBROOKE 152.8 152.3 -0.5 GASPÉ 157.6 157.4 -0.2 CHICOUTIMI 147 145.5 -1.5 RIMOUSKI 151.4 151.4 0 TROIS RIVIÈRES 154.6 151.8 -2.8 DRUMMONDVILLE 152.3 150.8 -1.5 VAL D'OR 159.6 159.6 0 GATINEAU 144.7 143.2 -1.5 SAINT JOHN* 143 144.2 1.2 FREDERICTON 144.7 145 0.3 MONCTON 143.8 144.4 0.6 BATHURST 143.5 142.3 -1.2 EDMUNDSTON 142.6 144 1.4 MIRAMICHI 144.9 146.2 1.3 CAMPBELLTON 143.1 146.3 3.2 SUSSEX 143.3 143.7 0.4 WOODSTOCK 144.8 146.2 1.4 HALIFAX* 145 145 0 SYDNEY 146.9 146.9 0 YARMOUTH 146 146 0 TRURO 146.1 146.1 0 KENTVILLE 145.5 145.5 0 NEW GLASGOW 146.1 146.1 0 CHARLOTTETOWN* 151.9 150.8 -1.1 ST JOHNS* 151.9 153.5 1.6 GANDER 155.7 157.3 1.6 LABRADOR CITY 159.1 160 0.9 CORNER BROOK 152.8 154.6 1.8 GRAND FALLS 155.7 157.3 1.6 SOURCE: KALIBRATE • All figures in CAD cents (*) Denotes markets used in Volume Weighted Canada Average Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Atlanta gas prices unchanged after Memorial Day weekend
The average gas price in the Atlanta area stayed the same as of Monday, according to GasBuddy. The company tracks gas prices across the United States, and found that in Atlanta, prices are staying the same even after the Memorial Day weekend. So, in terms of what drivers are seeing at the pump, GasBuddy said the average cost of gasoline in the past week was $2.90. That's nearly three cents lower than last month and a full 44.9 cents less than last year, according to the company. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Atlanta to be first city to ride on Lime's newest e-bike model Owners unveil new restaurant replacing the Ivy Buckhead Nearly 30 BUIs issued, 4 injured in boating accidents over Memorial Day weekend Nationally, gas prices are also unchanged compared to the past week, though the average is higher at $3.13 per gallon, a 3.1 cent increase per gallon from last month. Still, lower gas prices than the year before aren't restricted to Atlanta, with national prices 43 cents lower than the year before. Statewide, Georgia drivers are seeing an average price at the pump of $2.87, according to GasBuddy. 'While the national average didn't fall quite as far as anticipated for Memorial Day, it was still one of the most affordable since 2021— and, when adjusted for inflation, among the cheapest in nearly a decade,' Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said. De Haan said he expected prices to stay stable through the summer and that he did not foresee prices dropping far below a $3 average for now. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Compared to the last Memorial Day, gas prices are lower, but who deserves credit?
Gas prices — the subject of considerable political spin and even a doughnut promotion as millions of Americans hit the roadways and went shopping during the long holiday weekend — averaged $3.18 a gallon nationally and $3.20 in Michigan, according to AAA. Petroleum analysts and news outlets have attempted to explain the fluctuations in prices in a global economy disrupted by tariffs and a shifting U.S. energy policy that encourages increased fossil fuel use and environmental deregulation. The national gas price average, derived from a survey of about 120,000 gas stations, was 41 cents less on Monday than it was a year ago, but the same as a week ago. Michigan's average was down 46 cents from a year ago, but up three cents from last week. Throughout the state, the highest gas price averages by community were in Benton Harbor, $3.27 a gallon; Lansing, $3.26 and Grand Rapids, $3.25, and the lowest were in Traverse City, $3.04; Marquette, $3.08 and metro Detroit, $3.16. Amid the Memorial Day sales for everything from coffee makers, Apple watches, giant-screen TVs, refrigerators, headphones, swimsuits and "perfect vintage jeans," Krispy Kreme crafted a quirky campaign around gas prices. The doughnut company advertised: "Long weekend plans = snacks on deck," urging folks to buy a box of a dozen original glazed doughnuts to "fuel up" for $3.17, the national average before rounding up, when you "buy any dozen!" And the Trump administration touted low gas prices and "the Trump Effect in action," saying fuel was "the cheapest since 2021" and "if you adjust for inflation and rising wages," and excluded the pandemic years, Americans were spending "the least amount filling up this Memorial Day since 2003." The White House, which attributed its claims to GasBuddy, went on to declare "Biden's war on American energy is over" and trumpeted Trump's "relentless action to revive the nation's energy capabilities and undo the Biden-era stranglehold on American energy production." Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy's senior petroleum analyst, confirmed on X that "speaking seasonally, all 50 states are lower than last Memorial Day" and noted that gas prices were at their lowest seasonal (Memorial Day) level since 2021." DeHaan said gas prices are at their lowest inflation-adjusted level since 2003, excluding 2020, meaning Americans are putting "less of their paycheck into their tanks," although prices are higher than they were in December." In the last six months, DeHaan said, gas prices "climbed in 39 of the nation's 50 states, declined in 11." Politicians, he added, will "lie/incorrectly lead you to believe they've done something," adding "the bulk of this has been recent economic turmoil, as well as OPEC production changes, and continued re-balancing of the global economy" since the pandemic. West Texas Intermediate crude oil has been trading at less than $62 a barrel and could fall. At its May 31 meeting, Bloomberg News reported, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is expected to discuss whether to increase oil output. The price of oil is a key factor in the price of gasoline. More oil production could be good for consumers, but bad for oil companies, which also affects the economy. When prices fall, oil companies tend to profit less. Fact-checkers also have suggested that previous claims by President Donald Trump that gas has been selling for less than $2 a gallon, and by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that prices have 'collapsed under President Trump,' were misleading. DeHaan also warned that hurricane season, if turbulent, could cause spikes in gas prices, and forecasted last week that "due to a large jump in wholesale prices," the retail price could go up. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Memorial Day gas prices pop up in ads and national political posturing
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Here's what you can expect to pay for gas on Memorial Day weekend
A record number of Memorial Day celebrants are projected to head for their holiday destinations by car this weekend and getting there will be a little bit cheaper with prices at the pump set to be well below last year's rate. In fact, according to price-tracking website GasBuddy, the cost of filling up the tank ahead of the three-day weekend will be the lowest since 2021 and, after adjusting for inflation, the least expensive in over 20 years. GasBuddy forecasts that the national average price of gasoline will be $3.08 per gallon on Memorial Day, making it the cheapest Memorial Day at the pump since 2021, but lowest inflation-adjusted price since 2003. Prices are forecast to average $3.02 per gallon over the summer from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with a sub-$3 per gallon national average possible on some days, especially toward the latter half of the summer, according to a report from GasBuddy. And those sub-$3 per gallon prices could extend into the summer vacation season as well, according to Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy's head of petroleum analysis. 'This is a win for consumers,' DeHaan told CNN in a phone interview. 'And if the stars align later this summer, we could even see the national average drop below $3 a gallon.' AAA projects 39.4 million people will travel by car over this Memorial Day weekend, up by a million travelers over last year. Driving is the preferred mode of transportation during holiday travel periods, according to AAA, with 87% of Memorial Day travelers choosing to take road trips. And that overwhelming majority of holiday travel by car is a rate mostly driven by affordability and convenience, according to Stacy Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. 'Memorial Day weekend getaways don't have to be extravagant and costly,' Barber said in a AAA blog post. 'While some travelers embark on dream vacations and fly hundreds of miles across the country, many families just pack up the car and drive to the beach or take a road trip to visit friends. Long holiday weekends are ideal for travel because many people have an extra day off work and students are off from school.' A national survey conducted by GasBuddy found that while inflation remains a concern for many households, 47% of respondents report that the cost of gas is not impacting their travel plans. Overall costs, however, have emerged as the top priority for travelers this summer, ahead of factors like destination and accommodations. 'While we're forecasting the lowest summer gas prices in years, economic jitters are slightly dampening optimism — but we still expect a robust travel season, with millions of Americans hitting the road, many for extended trips,' De Haan said. 'Rather than canceling plans, travelers are becoming more strategic with their spending.' As of Thursday, the average price for a gallon of regular across Utah was $3.31 per AAA, down 2 cents from a month ago and about 35 cents per gallon less than this time last year. The average price per gallon by Utah metro area on Thursday, according to AAA data: Logan, $3.22 Ogden, $3.25 Provo-Orem, $3.25 Salt Lake City, $3.28 St. George, $3.36
