Gas prices were set to rise across the province, but due to two of the world's biggest trading partners going head to head, the uptick in prices is on hold.

Dan McTeague, a senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy.com, said that with the United States and China locked in a trade dual, it's having a positive effect on consumers at the pumps.

"What I would of thought would of been a guaranteed increase pushing us up into the $1.20 range, but that now may be temporarily put on hold," he said. "Two of the worlds largest trading partners suddenly decided to go after each other is not really the kind of stuff that exudes confidence in the market, and for that reason, gas prices may very well moderate or taper off. That's good news for consumers, maybe not such great news for the resource sector or for the world economy as a whole."

McTeague said that the trade tensions is creating fear and panic among investors which has led to the stalemate in gas prices.

"Fear and panic among investors who otherwise note that oil demand has increased," he said. "Supply of oil globally is certainly pressured. If you have a trade war that causes less demand or disrupts the normal flow of economic trade between counties, as has been the back and forth now like we are witnessing between the United States and China, it's likely to create a bit of downdraft."

McTeague says that without the current war of words he expects that gas prices would be rising.

"Well without a trade war, one would think that average prices here throughout the south would be in the $1.20 range low end $1.18, $1.17," he said. "As we head toward summer high end as much as $1.25, $1.28 of course much higher in neighbouring provinces that have introduced the carbon tax. Generally speaking, this was to be a very expensive year, probably the most expensive at the pumps, going back to 2014."

McTeague added that there is no sense that prices are going to rise, but he also doesn't see the prices decreasing either.

"I don't think they are going to be coming down much lower than this unless there is a collapse in the world market caused by the trade fears," he said. "If these trade fears are unfounded, then we will be right back up to $1.25 range, if not we could say prices trending down another five, six cents a litre, but it's very difficult to say what a trade war like this would look like."

McTeague says that he can't really make a long-term estimation about how gas prices will look until the China/U.S. situation is resolved.

He added that if a trade war does kick off, he doesn't know where prices will be heading.

"If it materializes into some kind of trade war with physical tariffs on put on products," he said. "It could be a very long nasty process in which it will be impossible to make a determination on the prices of any commodities including gasoline, diesel, or oil unless of course, someone has a crystal ball all bets are off right now. It's likely we could see them moving up a little, it's just as likely we could see them moving down dramatically."

Currently, in Swift Current, the lowest gas price sits at 113.9, while the highest is 118.9.