"I guess the other question is what are they doing with the money?" Nelms asked. "It seems to be an increase in savings rate."
The U.S. personal savings rate has increased a bit lately, reaching a more than two-year high of 5.7 percent in February yet about three percentage points below its long-term average.
So, as unlikely as it seems, the fickle U.S. consumer these days seems to have a greater appetite for paying down debt and adding to their savings than splurging on things like skinny jeans and fatty foods. And so the mystery of the disappearing gas savings may be solved, just as gas prices are on the rise again.