You can make these statistics dance to whatever tune you wish. Here are the closing numbers for 2007.  (For a view of where I see prices headed in 2008, check the previous post. I haven’t changed my mind  . . . yet).

-         Crude oil settles its last day of the year at $95.98 bbl, up 57.2% from the December 31, 2006 number of $61.05 bbl. In between, we saw some days where crude moved above $99 bbl, and one brief shining moment where crude traded for less than $50 bbl (see late January 2007).

-         The average 2007 price for unleaded regular gasoline at the pump (365 days of surveys) was $2.7892 gal. That compares with $2.5667 gal in 2006; $2.2654 gal in 2005; $1.8427 gal in 2004; $1.5587 gal in 2003; and $1.3497 gal in those halcyon days of 2002.

-         Unleaded gasoline ends the year at $3.046 gal, up from the December 31, 2006 price quote of $2.3238 gal (an increase of about 31%).  The high water mark nationally was set on May 24 at $3.2265 gal, and the low water mark occurred on January 29 at $2.143 gal.

-         The average 2007 price for diesel was $2.9581 gal. That compares with $2.7852 gal in 2006; $2.4779 gal in 2005; $1.8611 gal in 2004; $1.5833 gal in 2003; and $1.3746 gal in 2002.

-         Diesel ends the year at $3.4234 gal, which is about 27.4% above the December 31, 2006 price level of $2.6864 gal. The record high was hit on November 29 when diesel hit $3.4957 gal and the yearly low occurred on January 31 when nationwide diesel was worth $2.5237 gal.