National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $3.326; Month Ago: $3.302; Year Ago: $2.396. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $3.653; Month Ago: $3.584; Year Ago: $2.634.

What a difference a week can make. Oil prices surged to their highest level in over three years last week, and strategists were marveling that prices had shot up so quickly. Now prices are slumping. US crude oil futures have dropped by nearly 10% to trade around $66.50 per barrel, down from about $73 last week. Global benchmark Brent crude oil has dropped by about 6% to trade around $76, after peaking above $80. The sharp price decline was triggered on Friday by Saudi Arabia, the biggest oil exporter in the world and de facto leader of oil cartel OPEC. Click Read More below for additional information.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday that crude supplies declined by 9.9 million barrels for the week ended June 22—the largest weekly decline so far this year. Analysts surveyed by S&P Global Platts had forecast a fall of 2.3 million barrels, while the American Petroleum Institute on Tuesday reported a drop of 9.2 million barrels. “Record crude exports and record refinery runs have combined to yield the biggest draw to crude stocks so far this year,” said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at ClipperData. “Even crude production holding at a record level has been unable to offset strong domestic and international demand.” The EIA pegged last week’s total domestic crude output at 10.9 million barrels a day, unchanged from the previous week. Click Read More below for additional information.