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US gasoline benchmark trading at lowest level since late-2021, which is helping lower headline inflation. One of the key factors lately is the recent slide in crude oil prices after the Nov. 30 meeting of the OPEC+ oil cartel, says Andy Lipow, president of consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates. The weakness in crude “showed that OPEC+ is struggling to balance oil supply and demand in light of the surprising increase in supply from the US, Brazil and Guyana, as well as disappointing demand from China.”