The price of a barrel of oil dropped by $9.44 on Thursday alone, lowering the price below $100 per barrel for the first time in two months. According to the Associated Press, the per-barrel price reportedly dropped further to $97/barrel early Friday, and the trend may not reverse itself any time soon.
Some analysts feel that we may see some relief at the fuel pump, with prices dropping to an average of $3.75 per gallon by Memorial Day, and $3.50 by mid-summer. Currently, the price of a gallon of petrol rests at about $4.00 per gallon nation-wide, though many areas are paying much more.