From the Indianapolis Star news paper (All news fit to be printed :wink: )
After more than a week of declining gas prices, commuters will have to start spending more again.
Regular gas prices already have started increasing at some stations in the Great Lakes region, said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com. That includes stations in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, where prices are starting to climb up to $3.39.
"The reason for the change is that competition had eroded margins to the point where stations felt an increase was necessary to maintain that margin," DeHaan said. "It's what we call 'price cycling,' a phenomenon that only occurs in the Great Lakes region."
DeHaan said the strong presence of a specific or independent retailer causes the spike. A 2010 study by the Federal Trade Commission specifically mentions retailers such as Speedway and QuikTrip as generators of the price cycling pattern in Midwestern cities.
Thegasgame.com calls this the "Speedway effect." According to the website, the more stations Speedway owns in a city, the larger the price hikes are in that area. Speedway operates about 230 stations in Indiana, 300 in Michigan and 470 in Ohio, the company's home state.
Locally, regular gas prices already have jumped to $3.39 and $3.49 per gallon at stations in Crawfordsville, Franklin and Fishers, according to GasBuddy.com. Prices at a few stations in Shelbyville and Anderson are at $3.51.
Prices, however, remain low in the Indianapolis area, particularly at stations on the Eastside and Westside, where regular gas is $3.02 per gallon. The lowest, according to GasBuddy.com, is $2.96 in Mooresville.
For specific locations and prices, go to
www.indianagasprices.com