What affects gas prices?

[Bella]

Call me stupid, but I just don't understand what causes such radical fluctuations in the price of gas.

For example, this week I walked to work at 9:00AM and saw that gas was $1.73. Upon walking home at 4:00PM I noticed it was $1.89. The next morning I walked to work and noticed it's been jacked up to $1.99. When I get home from school that evening at 10:30PM it's back down to $1.79.

Why? I joked to a classmate that we must have shot someone very important, as I couldn't see any other reason for the major gouge over a 36 hour period, and he actually agreed with me .

[Ymir's blood]

I think it has something to do with how much an oil excecutive blew at the track the past weekend.