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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Environment
Antonia Juhasz

Why are gas prices so high? These obscure traders are partly to blame

Gasoline prices at the pump have surged, reaching a US national average of $4.34 on 21 March.
Gasoline prices at the pump have surged, reaching a US national average of $4.34 on 21 March. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Gasoline prices at the pump have surged, reaching a US national average of $4.34 on 21 March, and remain more than 70% greater than at this time last year. At the same time, global supplies of oil have actually increased, including from Russia, even amid the war in Ukraine.

So if high prices are not being driven by scarcity, what’s going on?

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