HeatingOilPrices

After dropping for most of the month, gas prices are now lower in much of the U.S. than they were a year ago. That hasn't happened in more than two years, and it could be part of a larger decline in gasoline prices that could lift consumer confidence ahead of the summer driving season.

Oil prices fell below $93 a barrel Monday in Asia as investors mulled whether slowing global economic growth justified a surge in crude this month. Benchmark crude for December delivery was down 79 cents at $92.53 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 64 cents to settle at $93.32 in New York on Friday.

The mid-Atlantic region, hard hit last winter, will catch a break from the weather next time, says the Farmer's Almanac, but much of the rest of the U.S. will be colder than normal, New England in particular. For those who heat their homes with oil, however, lower prices should ease the season.

Amidst the doom and gloom of the economy, there comes, occasionally, a glimmer of hope in the way of a bargain about to happen. According to the latest info from the Department of Energy (DOE), that bargain will come in the cost of heating your home this winter. In a report released this week,...