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VALDOSTA, Ga. — Gasoline prices crept up slightly in Valdosta during the past week, according to statistics.

The average price of a gallon of regular fuel in the city Sunday was $2.10, up a penny from seven days earlier, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

The lowest price reported in Valdosta Sunday was $1.98 a gallon at nine retailers scattered around the city, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com. The nine were also the only stores reporting prices less than $2 a gallon Sunday, up from seven the previous week, gasbuddy stated.

The highest price gasbuddy quoted for Valdosta Sunday was $2.79 at a North Patterson Street retailer.

Nationally, the average price of fuel Sunday was $2.31 a gallon, up from $2.28 the previous Sunday, while Georgia’s average of $2.18 was unchanged in the same period, the auto club said.

In market action Friday, the price of oil capped off its best week since early December with another gain. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 67 cents to settle at $49.71 per barrel and touched its highest level since May. Oil gained nearly 9 percent over the week.

Brent crude, the international standard, gained $1.03 to $53.53 a barrel Friday. Natural gas fell 3 cents to $2.94 per 1,000 cubic feet. Heating oil rose 4 cents to $1.64 per gallon, and wholesale gasoline gained 3 cents to $1.68 per gallon.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.