Well.....we have no readily apparent shortage here in northeast Florida.� 

And while supply elsewhere in the southeast may have fallen, I suspect that demand has fallen here and has taken prices down with it.

Right after Ike went ashore in Texas, gas prices in Florida went wild....from 3.79 to 4.40 over night.� Then folks started phoning the state attorney general making complaints about price gouging and just as quickly as the price went up, it came back down to settle around 3.89.� As I said it has subsequently dropped to 3.69-3.79....probably based on demand.

I think that in the very short term, price has more to do with current events than the law of supply and demand.� Plus when large retailers buy large gas contracts (futures) I think that a gulf often grows between current supply/demand and the contract price....makes it hard to deduce what the gas should really cost.

Cheers, Anthony
'89 Syncro GL (Hidalgo)

--- On Tue, 9/30/08, Allan Streib <streib@CS.INDIANA.EDU> wrote:
From: Allan Streib <streib@CS.INDIANA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Fuel Shortage in the Soutland Spreading Fast
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 9:29 PM

Anthony Egeln <regnsuzanne@YAHOO.COM> writes:

> My bro in Charlotte (NC) reported Sunday that there were big shortages
there.
>
> Here in the Jacksonville-St. Augustine area we seem to have a good
> supply except for spot outages of premium.....in fact a couple of
> stations were down to 3.69/gal. for regular....average about 3.79....

Makes no sense.  Prices falling, and shortages.  If there is a shortage
the price should go UP to the point where the demand falls to meet the
supply.

Allan
--
1991 Vanagon GL