Norwegian petroleum sales dip

OSLO, Norway, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Domestic sales of petroleum products in Norway decreased even though the cost for consumers is down, data from the Norwegian government said.

Data from the Norwegian government show total sales of petroleum products in October were 206 million gallons, about 0.76 percent less than the previous month. Gasoline sales accounted for the bulk of the decline, as diesel sales increased 1 percent from September.

Economic growth has been slow for most of the year for Norway, with gross domestic product increasing by slightly less than 1 percent for the past four quarters combined.

Statistics Norway, the government's data-mining agency, said lower crude oil prices were spilling over into major parts of the economy. In a snapshot of labor figures, the government said last week the number of job vacancies in the production of oil and gas decreased by about 50 percent from third quarter 2014 to third quarter 2015.

Lower crude oil prices hurt exporting nations like Norway, but translate to a de facto form of economic stimulus for consumers. The average retail price for gasoline in the country is down 11 percent year-on-year.

In October, the statistics office said mainland gross domestic product increased by less than 1 percent between the second quarter of 2014 and the second quarter of 2015.