Good news ! After having come dangerously close to the 2 euros per liter mark for gasoline in September 2023, the price of fuel has finally ended up stabilizing. Around 1.76 euros for diesel, and 1.79 euros for SP 95 E10 at the start of 2024, according to official government figures. For several weeks, prices have indeed seemed to stagnate… But for how long? And will they fall further?
Jean-Pierre Favennec, consultant specializing in energy interviewed by France Info, is clear that the price of a barrel of oil will not fall further: “I cannot think that the price of oil will fall significantly below this level ( current), it is a price which is more or less satisfactory for Saudi Arabia and for Russia, so we can estimate that we are quite close to a good balance. Now, the oil market is anything but in a situation balance for a long period of time.”
In short: the instability of the oil market really prevents us from projecting prices. Not to mention that international demand for oil has never been stronger. In 2023, more than 100 million barrels of oil will be sold every day. For 2024, it is therefore difficult to imagine a drop in demand. This places the main market players in a strong position to set prices. A situation to therefore monitor, especially as the cost price fuel operations deployed in recent months are coming to an end.
Since January 1, 2024, the cost-price fuel operations implemented by several major brands at the start of the 2023 school year have ended. However, depending on the evolution of the price of a barrel, several brands could extend their action, confirms Intermarché.
As you will have understood, this slight stagnation in prices looks more like a slight breather than a lasting situation. So it’s about staying on your guard. A motorist, interviewed by France Info, mentions a lack of alternative to the car: “what shocks me is that the train is so expensive, the alternative does not exist, so everything is expensive in the end” .
