What Lower Gas Prices Mean for Consumers-And Investors
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your money briefing. I'm J.R. Whalen at The Wall Street Journal in New York. Energy costs have been declining this year, taking some of the chill out of this winter. People are spending less money at the gas pump and on their home heating bill as well.
Futures prices for natural gas recently fell to their lowest level in almost four years.
How have U.S. gas prices changed over the past year and how much can drivers save?
And inventories in the U.S. are swelling and the U.S. is producing a lot. So the prospect of lower heating bills is something that is cheering a lot of people up.
That's Wall Street Journal markets reporter Amrith Ramkamar. Coming up, he'll talk about the impact of cheap fuel on consumers and investors.
Gas prices have dropped substantially compared to a year ago, and that's putting money back into consumers' pockets. Wall Street Journal markets reporter Amrith Ramkamar is here with details. So, Amrith, how much has a gallon of gas fallen in the last year?
In about the past nine months or so from a peak in May, the average price for a regular gallon of gasoline in the U.S.
How much could a 45-cent drop per gallon translate to in annual household savings?
is down about 45 cents. So it fell from about 280 to about 235 recently. And now it's bouncing back up a bit. But that's a pretty significant drop that is saving a lot of people some money.
It really is. And for Americans that use a lot of gas in a month, that can really add up.
Definitely. The Oil Price Information Service, which is owned by IHS Market, estimates that the average American household consumes about 100 gallons of gasoline a month.
Why are natural gas futures near four-year lows and what does that mean for heating bills?
And of course, that varies a lot depending on the time of year. But if you use that number, then a 45 cent drop would be about $540 in annual savings. So that is a lot. And then when you add on the cheaper natural gas prices that are saving many people money with their utility bills, it does have a big impact.
Well, that's the other part of the story here is that natural gas is playing a big role as well. Those prices have come down significantly.
Yes. Futures prices for natural gas recently fell to their lowest level in almost four years. And inventories in the U.S. are swelling and the U.S. is producing a lot. So the prospect of lower heating bills is something that is cheering a lot of people up.
Which regions might not benefit from lower fuel prices and why?
The Energy Information Administration really recently projected that this winter, going from October to March, on average, the household primarily heated with natural gas. That applies to about half of the U.S. households. The heating costs would drop about 8% from last winter. So again, a pretty sizable drop.
Yeah, it's been a fairly mild winter in many parts of the country. And then something else at work here is just the production on the U.S. side, the U.S. being on the world stage a major oil producer.
Absolutely. That angle is very interesting because it makes the economic impact of this trend much harder to analyze because while consumers are getting the benefits of this, the energy companies might not be. Definitely the rise of the U.S., though, as the world's largest oil and gas producer, has made this possible for people in a lot of the country. It's also important to note, though, that people in places like California and even on the East Coast might not see as many of these benefits because due to a combination of limited pipeline infrastructure and pricing by energy companies, and of course, state and local gas taxes.
When you consider current global events, the U.S. economy can really use a cushion, and this seems to be providing that.
That's the hope, speaking to some economists. It's really complicated, though, like I was saying before, looking at the impact on energy companies and then the expected dent from the coronavirus. Consumer spending, also the rate of consumer spending, slowed in the fourth quarter. So they are hoping that this gives consumers a bit more of a boost early in 2020, and that can keep U.S.
How could lower energy costs support the U.S. economy amid slowing consumer spending and coronavirus concerns?
growth stable. But we'll have to see as the fallout from the coronavirus continues to ripple across the globe.
And where falling gas prices giveth to consumers, they taketh away from oil producers and their investors.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:05–0:23
2
How have U.S. gas prices changed over the past year and how much can drivers save?
0:23–1:10
3
How much could a 45-cent drop per gallon translate to in annual household savings?
1:10–1:38
4
Why are natural gas futures near four-year lows and what does that mean for heating bills?
1:38–2:19
5
Which regions might not benefit from lower fuel prices and why?
2:19–3:56
6
How could lower energy costs support the U.S. economy amid slowing consumer spending and coronavirus concerns?
3:56–5:24
7
How are oil and gas companies and investors being affected by prolonged lower prices?
5:24–6:25
8
What factors could push oil and natural gas prices back up and how uncertain is the outlook?
6:25–6:32
Speakers
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