Gas prices: No relief in sight

Demand has cooled a bit, but with a robust economy and limited inventories, don’t expect good news for drivers – or investors.

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) – First, the good news: U.S. gasoline prices may come down by a dime or so in the next month.

Now the bad news: That’s about as much relief as we’re going to get.

Although wholesale gas prices have dropped from $2.10 a gallon to $1.98 in the last week, experts say still-tight inventories and reasonably healthy demand mean there will be no significant drop from retail gas prices of $3 per gallon or more in many parts of the country.

“Over the next few weeks, we may get a little relief,” says Larry Goldstein, president of the Petroleum Industry Research Foundation in New York. “But it’s not likely to have any legs.”

Fortune