• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

2

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

3

Jensen Huang says ‘a lot’ of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction will soon be unlocked because someone needs to build new AI centers

1

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

2

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

3

Jensen Huang says ‘a lot’ of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction will soon be unlocked because someone needs to build new AI centers
Finance

After the Biden and Bezos war of words, gas prices really are coming back down to earth

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 7, 2022, 11:11 AM ET
Joe Biden
President Joe Biden.Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

After hovering near the $5 mark for a while, the average price of gas could fall to $4 per gallon by mid-August, analysts predict.

Gas prices have been retreating from their highs last month for a couple of weeks now. AAA reports the average price per gallon currently stands at $4.75 nationwide, a 16-cent drop from a month ago. Wednesday’s drop of 2.8 cents per gallon was the second largest single-day drop in the last decade.

The decline comes on the heels of a Twitter feud between Jeff Bezos and President Joe Biden. Four days ago, the Amazon founder slammed Biden for his tweet calling on gas companies to lower prices at the pump.

That spat, of course, wasn’t the catalyst for the dip in prices. Nor was Biden’s tweet, which read, “My message to the companies running gas stations and setting prices at the pump is simple: this is a time of war and global peril. Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you’re paying for the product. And do it now.”

Bezos disparagingly called that demand “either straight ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics.”

The price drop (and expected continued fall) instead is a result of lower demand at the pump, as AAA found more Americans curtailing unnecessary trips due to the price of gas—and a dip in gas futures, which are down more than 10% this week, even with a spike on Thursday.

Patrick De Haan, an analyst with GasBuddy, said Wednesday he expects most stations will see drops of one to two cents per gallon every couple of days for the next two to three weeks, possibly longer. If “things do hold steady,” he says, “the national average could drop to $4-$4.25/gal by mid-August.”

On average, most stations will go down 1-2c/gal every couple days or so, and as long as oil prices don't reverse back, this could continue for 2-3 weeks or more.

— Patrick De Haan ⛽️📊 (@GasBuddyGuy) July 6, 2022

As of Thursday morning, GasBuddy found over 2,500 stations that were already charging less than $4 per gallon, a figure which could grow exponentially in the coming days.

It's happening! GasBuddy counts 2,535 stations at $3.99/gal or less today, that number could double or triple in the next week or two.

— Patrick De Haan ⛽️📊 (@GasBuddyGuy) July 7, 2022

The wild card, of course, is oil prices. Those have been falling fairly steadily since reaching recent peaks on June 8. On Wednesday, the price of WTI Crude fell below $100 for a brief period, though it has jumped back above that level today.

A hurricane in the Gulf or a sharp rise in oil prices tied to the stock market’s volatility could endanger the ongoing decline of the price at the pump. And another surge in demand could endanger the price drop. (July, says AAA, is typically the heaviest month for demand.)

If those obstacles are avoided, though, things could be a bit more manageable this fall, though they’ll still be higher than last year’s low- to mid-$3 range. DeHaan says stations in several states, including South Carolina, Georgia and Texas, could see prices fall below $4. (Indeed, some stations in those states are already below that point. At least one location in South Carolina is currently charging $3.80 per gallon.) And California will likely fall back under $6 per gallon, with some stations in that state dropping below $5 per gallon.

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Finance

Welcome to the mega-war: Mideast and European conflicts merge, sucking in more countries along the way—even ones claiming neutrality
Middle EastIran
Welcome to the mega-war: Mideast and European conflicts merge, sucking in more countries along the way—even ones claiming neutrality
By Jason MaAugust 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Exxon, Chevron warn fuel prices to endure as war knocks refining
Energyfuel
Exxon, Chevron warn fuel prices to endure as war knocks refining
By Kevin Crowley and BloombergAugust 1, 2026
4 hours ago
Bessent joins Japan to help reverse months of yen losses
EconomyCurrency
Bessent joins Japan to help reverse months of yen losses
By Shintaro Inkyo, Masahiro Hidaka and BloombergAugust 1, 2026
5 hours ago
A dead SpaceX rocket that’s been adrift for over a year is about to slam into the moon, carving out a new crater with the equivalent of 3 tons of TNT
Innovationspace
A dead SpaceX rocket that’s been adrift for over a year is about to slam into the moon, carving out a new crater with the equivalent of 3 tons of TNT
By Marcia Dunn and The Associated PressAugust 1, 2026
5 hours ago
Inside Miami’s ‘Billionaire Bunker,’ a man-made island for the .01% where billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg shell out for total privacy
Real EstateBillionaires
Inside Miami’s ‘Billionaire Bunker,’ a man-made island for the .01% where billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg shell out for total privacy
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezAugust 1, 2026
6 hours ago
You need $2 million to retire and ‘almost no one is close,’ BlackRock CEO warns, a problem that Gen X will make ‘harder and nastier’
Personal FinanceRetirement
You need $2 million to retire and ‘almost no one is close,’ BlackRock CEO warns, a problem that Gen X will make ‘harder and nastier’
By Sydney LakeAugust 1, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
Personal Finance
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
2 days ago
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
Retail
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
2 days ago
Jensen Huang says ‘a lot’ of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction will soon be unlocked because someone needs to build new AI centers
Success
Jensen Huang says ‘a lot’ of six-figure jobs in plumbing and construction will soon be unlocked because someone needs to build new AI centers
By Preston ForeAugust 1, 2026
6 hours ago
'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years
Success
'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Jensen Huang says this is the greatest time in history to start a business—and his advice is to stop overthinking it: 'How hard can it be?’
Success
Jensen Huang says this is the greatest time in history to start a business—and his advice is to stop overthinking it: 'How hard can it be?’
By Preston ForeJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
Big Tech
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
By Alexei OreskovicJuly 30, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.