 AAA points to higher crude oil prices as the culprit. Oil prices are responsible for about half the cost of gasoline. Overall, analysts expect largely stable gasoline prices this summer, unless hurricanes cause major disruptions. Climate change, fueled largely by fossil fuels, is helping make storms stronger. Camila Dominovsky, NPR News. In world financial markets, Asian markets were higher by the close than Ike and Japan, up about eight-tenths of a percent.