AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 3/2/18

Flint Group announced today the acquisition of Eston Chimica SRL located in Padova, Italy. This acquisition follows Flint Group’s strategy to grow not only organically, but also through tactical acquisition. Eston Chimica manufactures and sells water-based inks for flexo and gravure applications to printers predominantly located in Italy and Southern Europe. The company supports key Paper & Board applications, such as corrugated, shopping bags, paper bags, and various other water-based print jobs. Eston Chimica is located in northern Italy, near Venice, and employs 32 people. Kim Melander, Vice President & General Manager EMEA and Global Strategy, Paper & Board, says, "Flint Group is very happy to join together with Eston Chimica. We have found the ‘right’ partner; a company who, with the dedicated support of its employees, has been very successful in recent years outgrowing the market as compared to other suppliers.” Click Read More below for additional information.

National Average Price for Regular – Current: $2.517; Month Ago: $2.543; Year Ago: $2.218. National Average Price for Diesel – Current: $2.772; Month Ago: $2.733; Year Ago: $2.422.

Futures were little changed after slipping 0.3 percent on Tuesday, the first decline in four sessions. Crude inventories fell by 1.56 million barrels last week, while motor-fuel stockpiles gained 520,000 barrels, the industry-funded American Petroleum Institute was said to report. A Bloomberg survey forecast a 2.45 million-barrel oil-supply drop ahead of government data Wednesday. “The U.S. shale machine is poised to shift up a gear as producers make hay amid the healthier price backdrop,” said Stephen Brennock, an analyst at PVM Oil Associates Ltd. West Texas Intermediate for December delivery slid 8 cents to $57.12 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 10:04 a.m. London time. Total volume traded was 12 percent below the 100-day average. Prices slipped from the highest level in more than two years to close at $57.20 on Tuesday. Click Read More below for additional information.