Terry Richards | The Valdosta Daily Times

VALDOSTA — Prices for gasoline slipped slightly in Valdosta during the last week, following several weeks of steady increases, according to statistics.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the city Sunday was $2.72, down a penny from seven days earlier, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

The lowest price spotted in Valdosta Sunday was $2.58 a gallon at two locations, one on Bemiss Road and the other on Inner Perimeter Road, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com.

The city was tied with Gainesville for the fifth most expensive gasoline in Georgia out of 17 markets Sunday, behind Savannah, Brunswick, Atlanta and Athens, the auto club said.

Nationally, the average price of gasoline was $2.81 per gallon, unchanged from a week earlier, while Georgia’s average price of $2.72 was down one cent in the same period, AAA said.

In Friday market action, benchmark U.S. crude rose 1.9 percent to $69.72 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 1.7 percent to $74.87 per barrel in London.

Wholesale gasoline jumped 1.3 percent to $2.11 a gallon. Heating oil climbed 2 percent to $2.15 a gallon. Natural gas lost 0.6 percent to $2.71 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.