Gasoline at US$1 is warning for economy

A gas station attendant pumps fuel into a customer's car at the NNPC Mega petrol station in Abuja, Nigeria March 19, 2020. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

NEW YORK: In London, a city in Kentucky, became the first in the country to see pump prices fall below $1 a gallon as coronavirus-related lockdowns halt transit across the country -- and it won’t be the last.

Several others are poised to join the club in the coming days as the pandemic crushes fuel demand and sends the economy to the brink of a recession. While cheap fuel usually spurs gas-guzzling Americans to hit the highways, the latest downturn in prices portends dark times ahead.