The market has essentially settled the tails and is arguing over a two-cent window. AAA had the national average at $4.43 on September 17, up 16 cents in a week, so the strikes below $4.44 are trading at 99% for good reason. Crude near $100 a barrel and pipeline disruption out of Saudi Arabia have been pushing pump prices up week over week, which is why the action lives at $4.50 and $4.52 rather than lower. The live question is whether the run has another few cents in it before the weekly print, or whether inventories that rose two straight weeks finally cap it.
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