According to NADA Used Car Guide, the seasonal peak in wholesale prices it predicted to occur this past month has “come and gone.”

And prices for the majority of the segments the organization tracks are expected to register minor declines over the course of the current week.

That said, against the past trend of wholesale prices soaring for compact vehicles in light of rising gas prices, the only segment expected to see any growth this week is luxury utilities, which is expected to grow by 0.2 percent or $50, NADA UCG reported.

Looking at some data that might come as a surprise in the current consumer market, large pickups increased 0.1 percent in the two-week average rate of growth, while all other segments saw slight declines.
 
In fact, following the slide in gasoline prices — the Energy Information Administration reported the average price of regular grade gasoline fell four cents from $3.87 per gallon to $3.83 — compact car segment wholesale prices are expected to remain flat over the course of the current week. 

Shedding some more light on the fuel-cost dynamic, officials pointed out that this is the fourth week in a row that the average price of regular grade gasoline fell.

Moving along, midsize van prices are expected to fall the most of any segment with a 2.4-percent decline (or $375), according to NADA UCG data.

Furthermore, “wholesale prices for compact utilities and midsize utilities are expected to fall by $150 apiece, while prices for midsize cars and large pickups should fall slightly less by $100,” NADA UCG reported.
 
Four- and two-week AuctionNet wholesale average prices are created by collecting all AuctionNet records for vehicles  up to five years of age for a specified period of time.  Prices are then adjusted for changes in mileage and mix.

Current week prices are forecasted based on NADA’s proprietary used-vehicle value model which includes assumptions for new-vehicle prices, used-vehicle supply, gasoline prices, and other economic factors.