U.S. Drivers Are Burning More Gas, a Trend Likely to Continue
- Nation’s rate of new Covid-19 infections fall to a record low
- GasBuddy says gasoline demand ‘nearly back to normal’
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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After a year of getting pummeled by the coronavirus, U.S. oil demand is bouncing back -- and this time it looks like it’s here to stay.
Retail gasoline sales rose last week to just 1% below year-ago levels, just before regional lockdowns brought fuel consumption to a crawl, Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy said on Twitter. Gasoline’s recovery comes on top of a diesel rebound that started last fall as consumers began to rely on home-delivery services like Amazon.com Inc. more than ever. Even jet fuel is looking up with newly vaccinated passengers eager to fly after a year of restrictions.