Oil started the week off with mixed readings after last week’s nearly 5% rise as investor sentiment in black gold continued to be buoyed by hopes of extension to the OPEC-led deal to curb production. U.S. crude showed cautious trade around the unchanged mark Monday with the benchmark unable to hold the $54 mark, though the London barrel managed to extend gains. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude December contract slipped 2 cents, or 0.04%, to $53.88 a barrel by 5:12AM ET (9:12GMT). Click Read More below for additional information.

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 1.1% in September after rising 0.2% in August. In September, the index equaled 113.9 (2015=100) compared with 115.2 in August. “After hitting a bottom in April, tonnage increased in three of the previous four months, gaining a total of 2.2% before September’s drop,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “However, this freight market remains in flux, and the index contracted by 1.1% in September, which erased half of those gains. Additionally, the year-over-year decrease was the largest drop since November 2020 on a very difficult comparison – September 2022 – which was the previous cycle high. While it is likely a bottom has been hit in truck freight tonnage, there could still be choppy waters ahead as the freight market remains volatile.”

National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $2.178; Month Ago: $2.198; Year Ago: $2.642. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $2.426; Month Ago: $2.438; Year Ago: $2.958.