The Philly-area average had declined 1 cent yesterday; the average was $2.72 a week earlier.

South Jersey's average declined a cent overnight, to $2.45, marking a 4-cent decline in a week.

The national average declined 1 cent overnight, to $2.60, which is 3 cents less than a week ago.

The diesel average in the Philly area was down 2 cents, to $2.81. South Jersey's decreased 1 cent, to $2.49, and the national diesel average remained at $2.62.

Meanwhile, oil shed more than $1 to fall below $63 a barrel, adding to a sharp drop over the last week on investor doubts about a global economic recovery.

Prices reached an eight-month high last week above $73, but quickly tapered off as dismal unemployment figures suggested that the United States and Europe would be slower to rebound out of recession than expected.

Benchmark crude for August delivery was up for much of the day but then turned into negative territory, apparently following the lead of Wall Street, where stock opened lower. A barrel was down $1.14 to $62.91 by afternoon in European electronic trading on the Ne w York Mercantile Exchange.

On Monday, the prices fell $2.68 to settle at $64.05.