Emmett Lindner

Walmart, Target and TJ Maxx reported increases in sales, but shoppers are seeking out low-price items and cutting back in some categories, a potentially worrying sign for the U.S. economy.

President Trump said he would like to suspend the 18.4-cent-a-gallon tax, but it’s a move that may save drivers only a few dollars a month.

Shipping, taxes, competition and environmental regulations all play a part in the cost of gasoline. That can lead to stark differences in pump prices.

The announcement came days after the United Arab Emirates withdrew from the group. The higher output will have little effect on global supplies.

The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, dipped more than 2 percent a day after it rose above $120 a barrel in volatile trading.

The group of oil-producing countries supplied more than 25 percent of the world’s oil before the war in Iran. Its members have influenced energy markets through the years.

The war in Iran has disrupted supplies of diesel, used to power trucks and heavy equipment, much more than gasoline, which is primarily used in passenger cars.

The cost at the pump made its biggest monthly percentage increase in decades amid lingering tensions over the war in Iran.

A month since the first U.S.-Israeli attacks and Iran’s response effectively shut off Persian Gulf oil, drivers are paying significantly more to fill up.

Diesel has climbed faster than gasoline this month, directly hitting businesses, from brewers to trucking companies. Those higher costs are likely to make their way into consumer prices.

Governments have stockpiled oil, and cars are more efficient but the supply shock is global, and there’s no sense of when it’ll end.

Drivers are paying an average of 20 percent more at the pump since the strikes on Iran began. The global oil price was up and stocks in Asia rose.

The U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran have intensified and the conflict has widened, shaking global energy markets.

Interruptions in oil supplies in the Middle East, source of much of the world’s energy, are trickling down to what American drivers pay when they fill up.

Soaring oil prices suggest that more increases could be in store for American drivers. Diesel, jet fuel, and other refined products are also becoming much more expensive.

The price of a gallon of gasoline hits its highest level in a year and a half on Friday. Surging oil prices suggest that the increases will continue.

The average price of a gallon of gasoline jumped again on Friday, to $3.32 per gallon, hitting its highest level in a year and a half.