Psychology of fear Don O'Grady, an analyst for A.G Edwards in St. Louis, was unconvinced by industry explanations. Psychology plays a huge role in the market. The industry is bidding up the price of gas over fears of another summer like last year. O'Grady also disagreed that gasoline prices had been too low. On a more optimistic note, O'Grady said that at least as far as gasoline is concerned, what goes up must come down.
Prices tend to move up pretty quickly, and unlike, say, gourmet coffee beans, they do come down.
Clay Boudreau, manager of the Shell Station on 22nd Street in Oak Brook, said he couldn't blame the increase on one single factor, pointing out that prices have fluctuated wildly in recent months. Boudreau had sobering words for drivers. He predicted that the price of gas would continue to rise over the next few months, possibly to levels not seen since last summer's price shock. It might go up tomorrow, but it might go down. You can't tell.