At its current level, the price of gasoline is not high enough to affect regional trends. |
Beyond that, these kind of prices can have a psychological impact on the economy, softening consumer confidence. If you are concerned about future prices, you may think twice about purchasing something now, especially if it's a big-ticket item. |
In general, this does not present a severe negative impact on the local economy. |
It does take a bit of money out of their monthly budget ---- not a large bit, but a bit ---- but for someone who has not seen an increase in his pay envelope for a year or two, it can make an already bad situation worse. |
We've got essentially flat growth. |