Tiny downward nudge for gas prices

For the sixth straight week, gasoline prices went down across Newfoundland and Labrador, although the latest setting will not make much of a difference at the checkout.

The Public Utilities Board lowered the ceiling on all grades of gas by as much as 0.6 cents a litre on Wednesday.

The Christmas holiday prompted the PUB to make this week's setting a day earlier than normal.

The change means that retailers on the Avalon Peninsula, where prices are cheapest, can now charge no more than $1.029 for a litre of self-serve, unleaded gas.

However, prices in St. John's have been well below the buck-a-litre barrier for a few weeks, with gas stations competing for clientele.

Diesel fuel is also cheaper, with the price per litre down1.4 cents.

Furnace oil dropped by 1.53 cents per litre, while stove oil dropped 1.18 cents. There was no change in the cost of propane for heating.