[IronJack]

Looking at your chart, the retail price seems to follow the price of crude fairly accurately, until about Christmas of last year, when the current slide began. Although current retail reflects a decline, crude prices reflect a precipitous drop. The margin between the two prices indeces is almost zero now, meaning that, among other things, we are paying the retail equivalent of about $61 a barrel, while the cost of crude is below $50 a barrel.

No doubt the retail price will continue to decline, but what accounts for the narrowing of the margin since Christmas?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

what accounts for the narrowing of the margin since Christmas?

The size of the chart.

The gap stays pretty much the same percentage wise over time.

[gatorbait]

No doubt the retail price will continue to decline, but what accounts for the narrowing of the margin since Christmas?

Putting on my tin foil helmet, I will venture to say, market manipulation by Soros or a Soros style organization is a factor in a lot of this. Okay, you can feel free to say I'm nuts.

[unixfox]

No doubt the retail price will continue to decline, but what accounts for the narrowing of the margin since Christmas?

I don't know about you but I call it gouging.