Gas went up 16.5 cents this week. That is the one week of the year it is supposed to start going down, and almost nobody reported why that matters. Here is the mechanism. Gasoline is not one product, it is two. From spring through September refiners are required to sell a summer blend, which evaporates less in heat and costs more to produce. The EPA requires that blend only through September 15. On September 16 the cheaper winter blend is legal again, and it runs roughly 15 cents a gallon less to make. That switchover happened four days ago. On top of that, the calendar is working in your favor right now. Summer driving demand peaks in August. AAA's own guidance is that pump prices typically decline in the weeks after Labor Day, and GasBuddy puts the normal seasonal drop at 10 to 30 cents a gallon between mid September and late November. Cheaper fuel to make, fewer people driving. Prices should be sliding. They went the other way. The national average moved from $4.3104 a week ago to $4.4759 today, and it is up 40% from $3.1996 a year ago. When the price rises into a cheaper blend and falling demand, the problem is not at the pump and it is not the season. It is refining capacity. Diesel set its sixth straight record on Friday at $6.4866 while crude sits below its own peak, which is the same story told louder: not enough refineries turning barrels into fuel. Three things not to do with this. Do not sit on a purchase waiting for the seasonal drop, because the thing that normally causes it already happened and did not work. Do not switch to premium thinking it protects you, it does nothing unless your engine requires it. And do not trust anyone explaining this week's number with "gas always goes up in the summer," because summer blend ended on the 15th. The number to watch is regular unleaded against $5.0165, the June 14 2022 record, which is 54 cents away. What is gas where you are? Drop your city and your price. #gasprices #inflation #costofliving #fuelprices #economy - @zarekdevinee