A decline of more than 40 cents (a gallon) in gasoline prices this month and the improving job outlook have combined to help restore consumers' confidence.

A decline of more than 40 cents in gasoline prices this month and the improving job outlook have combined to help restore consumers' confidence.

[Consumers] are more optimistic about the outlook than last month. Historically, this trend is prevalent during a recovery.

By our reckoning, ethanol has added about 20 cents a gallon to the cost of gasoline here in California.

We could be very well in a period where this is as good as it gets. If prices at the pump keep ticking, and they actually have been ticking upward since this survey was cut off, it very well could take a bite out of confidence.

Refineries are squeezing out every gallon of gasoline possible, and they?re doing a good job of it. The problem is, it?s coming at the expense of the other products like heating oil.