CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) – In a year of unpredictable shifts, retail gasoline prices ended with two weeks of stability. But that isn’t expected to last into the new year, an industry analyst said Sunday.

The average price Friday for a gallon of self-serve gasoline nationwide, including all grades and taxes, was about $1.51, according to the Lundberg Survey of 8,000 stations. That was down 0.08 of a cent since Dec. 5, but 6.51 cents higher than the average on Dec. 20, 2002.

“We’re back down to approximately where we were in January,” analyst Trilby Lundberg said.

For 2003 overall, retail gasoline prices averaged about $1.61, up 21.6 cents from the average price last year.

Prices were stable for the last two weeks because of lower wholesale prices that already have begun to climb again, Lundberg said.

World and U.S. crude oil supplies are somewhat tight, due to rebounding oil demand and OPEC’s decision not to raise oil production.

Also, prices at the nation’s pumps may increase because new standards will take effect in January, Lundberg said. Lower sulfur gasoline mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency will be introduced, and a ban on the additive MTBE will take effect in New York, Connecticut and California.

The national weighted average price of gasoline, including taxes, at self-serve pumps Friday was about $1.48 a gallon for regular, $1.58 for mid-grade and $1.67 for premium.

AP-ES-12-21-03 1705EST