RBOB Gasoline
USD/gal · Yahoo Finance
Price history
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What drives the price
RBOB Gasoline (Reformulated Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending) is the NYMEX futures contract for US wholesale gasoline. The contract reflects gasoline pricing at New York Harbor and is the upstream signal that flows through to retail pump prices across the United States within 1-3 weeks.
- Crude oil prices set the base cost — gasoline typically follows WTI with a 3:2:1 crack-spread offset
- Summer driving season (May-Sep) and refinery maintenance shutdowns swing the seasonal pattern
- EPA reformulated-gasoline (RFG) requirements add a regional premium to summer blends
- Hurricane-season disruptions in Gulf Coast refining can spike RBOB independently of crude
Frequently asked questions
What is RBOB gasoline?
RBOB stands for "Reformulated Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending" — a wholesale gasoline product that meets US Environmental Protection Agency reformulated-gasoline standards. The NYMEX RB futures contract is the benchmark for US gasoline prices.
How does RBOB relate to retail gas prices?
RBOB is the wholesale input. Retail prices add roughly $0.40-0.70/gallon for taxes, refining margin, distribution, and station markup. Moves in RBOB typically reach the pump within 1-3 weeks, with summer prices ~$0.30/gal higher than winter.
Why does gasoline have a seasonal cycle?
US gasoline demand peaks during the May-September driving season, while refineries take maintenance turnarounds in spring and fall. EPA also requires "summer-blend" gasoline (lower volatility, more expensive to produce) from June 1 to September 15.
What is the crack spread for RBOB?
The 3:2:1 crack spread is a refinery margin proxy: refining 3 barrels of crude into 2 of gasoline and 1 of distillate. Wider crack spreads incentivise more refining and tend to put downward pressure on gasoline as supply increases.
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About this benchmark
RBOB Gasoline is one of the principal benchmarks for energy markets. NowPrice publishes the live futures price (USD/gal) along with intraday range and a 24-hour / 7-day / 30-day price-history chart. Data is sourced from Yahoo Finance and refreshed every 5 minutes during market hours.