Fuel prices remain unchanged, diesel lowest since March, check December 26 rates

After a dip in prices on two consecutive days, petrol remained unchanged on Wednesday. Diesel prices remained unchanged for two days in a row and is now retailing at lowest since March this year. Petrol was priced at Rs 69.79 per litre and diesel at Rs 63.83 per litre, respectively in the national capital. In Mumbai, petrol and diesel were being sold at Rs 75.41 per litre and 66.79 per litre, respectively. In Chennai, petrol was retailing at Rs 72.41 per litre and diesel Rs 67.38 per litre. In Kolkata, petrol was sold at Rs 71.89 per litre and diesel at Rs 65.59 per litre. Petrol was retailing at Rs 70.82 a litre in Gurugram, while diesel at Rs 63.89 a litre. In Noida and Faridabad, petrol was being sold for Rs 69.79 a litre and Rs 71.03, respectively. While, diesel was retailing at Rs 63.27 a litre and Rs 64.10 in Noida and Faridabad, respectively.

Fuel prices witnessed a cut as global crude oil prices plunged over 6 per cent to the lowest level in more than a year on Monday. Fuel prices are likely to come down further in the coming days. Brent crude futures hit its lowest level since 2017. Brent crude price has fallen about 40 per cent in the October-December quarter. 

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The lowest that petrol had touched this calendar year was on January 1, when its price was 69.97 a litre in Delhi. The lowest for diesel was Rs 59.70 on the same date. Petrol’s decline has been faster than that of diesel because of a difference in benchmark rates.

It may be noted that the recent fall in the value of rupee against the US dollar has offset gains from the falling crude oil prices. The rupee has fallen over 3 per cent in the last few days. Worth mentioning here is that crude prices have fallen by over 30 per cent since early October when it was at $86 per barrel, making a forecast of $100 crude by January look true, and the rupee has also gained strength. The twin factors, therefore, have brought down retail fuel rates to two-month low. Retail fuel prices in India depend on both international oil price and the rupee-dollar exchange rate. Also, the pump price of petrol and diesel is dependent on the global rates of benchmark fuel and the rupee-US dollar exchange rate. Brent crude futures were around $61 per barrel mark on Friday after rising nearly 2 per cent on Thursday. 

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Fuel prices are retailing at the lowest level since the all-time high in October. Prices were slashed by almost Rs 14 wiping off the massive hikes in two months beginning August 16. Petrol in Delhi was priced at Rs 77.14 per litre and in Mumbai, it cost Rs 84.58 on August 15. Diesel on that day was priced at Rs 68.72 per litre in Delhi and at Rs 72.96 in Mumbai. Between August 16 and October 4, petrol price was hiked by Rs 6.86 per litre and diesel by Rs 6.73.