The decline in world prices for petroleum products, which has lasted for almost a week, has begun to affect the Ukrainian fuel market. As a result, more and more gas station chains are revising their price tags downwards. The specialized publication enkorr reports on such trends.

Analysts note that the dynamics of the price reduction varies depending on the type of fuel. While gasoline is becoming cheaper rather restrained due to the previous moderate price increase, diesel is already showing a more noticeable decline. In some chains, its cost has decreased by UAH 2 per liter or more. At the same time, prices for liquefied gas are falling more slowly, as a significant price gap remains on the market.

According to monitoring data from the A-95 Consulting Group, wholesale prices decreased significantly between April 13 and 20. Diesel fuel fell by UAH 4.78 per liter to UAH 83.51/liter, A-95 gasoline by UAH 0.93/liter to UAH 66.24/liter. A significant drop was also recorded in the liquefied gas segment.

In particular, the cost of LPG decreased by UAH 2,940 per ton (approximately UAH 1.60/liter) and amounted to UAH 77,500/ton or UAH 41.85/liter. At the same time, the situation in this market has its own peculiarities: import prices remain high, while a surplus of resources is being formed on the domestic market against the background of relatively weak demand, uncharacteristic for this season.

An additional factor of influence was the exchange rate. According to the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, over the week the dollar rose by UAH 0.54 to UAH 44.12, and the euro by UAH 0.87 to UAH 51.87. This partially offset the effect of falling world prices: currency fluctuations added about UAH 0.90/l to the cost of gasoline, more than UAH 1.1/l of diesel, and UAH 0.57/l of liquefied gas.

Despite the significant price reduction in the wholesale segment, the retail market is reacting more cautiously. On average, diesel prices fell by 60 kopecks to UAH 89.92/l, gasoline fell by 42 kopecks to UAH 72.71/l, and liquefied gas by only 5 kopecks per liter to UAH 48.99/l.

Experts explain this restraint by several factors. First, there are still stocks of fuel purchased at higher prices on the market. Second, new batches of the resource are arriving at gas stations, which are also expensive. In addition, operators are operating under conditions of low margins, which limits the possibilities for rapid price reductions.

Market representatives confirm that expensive surpluses formed in April due to expectations of a shortage play a significant role. They are currently holding back a more active reduction in fuel prices. Added to this is the factor of high cost of imported supplies, which continues to put pressure on prices even against the backdrop of favorable global trends.