National Average Price Per Gallon: $3.239
Oil prices are continuing to hover around highs not seen since 2014. However, some economists don’t believe rising oil prices will necessarily hurt the U.S. economy.
In the past, high oil prices in the U.S. would have created a surge in the oil trade deficit, which would subtract from gross domestic product. However, because the United States is now the second-largest producer of oil in the world, high prices may actually spur economic growth instead.
According to John Ryding of RDQ Economics: “You’re not looking at the kind of magnitude that we used to think about oil prices hurting the U.S. I think that it’s less than a third of the impact that it used to be.”
Framing lumber: $543
Panels/plywood: $545
Exceptionally strong seasonal demand pushed the framing lumber index to a new record high of $543, surging past last week’s record of $525. Demand is so high that it’s causing rail and truck shortages, hampering the ability of mills to get ordered filled.
Trading in structural panels continued its upward momentum. But in contrast to the framing lumber index, prices remained steady.
A report by WalletHub ranks the best and worst states for working moms.
The report looked at metrics like daycare costs, pediatricians per capita, school-system quality, the gender pay gap, and women’s salaries.
The 5 states ranked as the best for working moms are:
1) Vermont
2) Minnesota
3) Massachusetts
4) District of Columbia
5) Connecticut
The states considered by the report to be worst for working moms are: South Carolina, Nevada, Alabama, Louisiana, and, in last place, Idaho.
Sources: Random Lengths, EIA, CNBC, WalletHub