The nation's average price for regular gasoline slipped a penny for a second straight week, settling at $2.63 per gallon. The national average was $1.06 below the year-ago price. The average on the West Coast dipped a penny to $2.95 per gallon, while the price in California slipped two cents to $3.03 per gallon.
     The national average price for diesel fuel rose for the fifth consecutive week with an increase of nearly two cents taking the price to $2.67 per gallon. Despite a cumulative increase over the past five weeks of more than 17 cents, the average price was $1.48 below this time last year. The largest price increase last week took place on the West Coast where the average increased four cents to $2.79 per gallon. In California, the average moved up a penny to $2.88 per gallon.  
     Crude oil dropped 3.1 percent Tuesday, marking the first decline we have seen in six days. It touched $75 following a report from the Conference Board that confidence among U.S. consumers increased in August as people became less worried about labor. 
Yesterday's drop was partly due to the American Petroleum Institute's reporting an unexpectedly large increase in crude inventories last week.  Signs that reduced lending in China may dampen demand in the world's fastest-growing energy-using country also pressured prices. 
     The only news that continues to prop up the crude oil price is a new threat of a tropical storm in the Atlantic.   If the crude market follows fundamentals it should continue to retreat.  However, normal trading factors have been somewhat ignored this year.