RTRS: Europe Products-ICE gas oil futures at 2-yr high
LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - ICE gas oil futures climbed to
fresh two-year highs on Wednesday after U.S. distillate stocks
fell by a bigger-than-expected 4 million barrels last week, data
from the American Petroleum Institute showed. [API/S]
Europe will rely partly on imports of diesel and gas oil to
top up inventories depleted during the French refining strike in
October. But falling distillate stocks in the United States
could reduce export flows, traders said.
More authoritative U.S. inventories data from government
body the Energy Information Administration will be released at
1530 GMT. [EIA/S]
GASOLINE * Eurobob, the ARA gasoline benchmark, traded at $765-$771 a
tonne fob ARA, up from $765-$768 at Tuesday's close.
* Trading was relatively active, about 15,000 tonnes
changing hands.
* Eurobob's crack to dated Brent BFO- rose to around $3.75
a barrel from $3.25 a barrel on Tuesday.
* Swaps showed cracks would average $3.05 a barrel for the
balance of November and $2.60 a barrel for December.
* By 1147 GMT, ICE Brent crude futures LCOc1 were trading
6 cents lower at $88.27 a barrel.
* U.S. RBOB gasoline futures RBc1 in New York were 0.14
percent up at $2.1881 a gallon.
* Later in the day, the market focus will shift to weekly
oil data from the U.S. government. Analysts expect it to show an
800,000 barrel fall in U.S. gasoline inventories in the week to
Nov. 5. [EIA/S]
* Late on Tuesday, a separate set of data from industry
group American Petroleum Institute reported gasoline stocks slid
3.4 million barrels last week.
MIDDLE DISTILLATES * Physical barges of 10ppm diesel were discussed unchanged
at premiums of between $19-$21 a tonne fob ARA to ICE gas oil
futures.
* Gas oil barges were discussed at $5.50/$3.50 a tonne fob
ARA to the benchmark and were flat on the day.
* A broker said that low Rhine water levels were a concern
for the market after loading restrictions were implemented.
"They were worse but are improving," he said. [ID:nLDE6A70WH]
* Water levels at the key measuring point Kaub were at 172
centimetres on Wednesday, up from 159 cm the previous day.
* November ICE gas oil futures touched a fresh two-year high
of $750.25 a tonne on Wednesday, but were down 25 cents at
$746.75 a tonne by 1252 GMT.
* The prompt crack was around $12.71 a barrel.
* The prompt intermonth spread was in contango of $4.75 a
tonne. NEWOILOIL
FUEL OIL
* Barges of high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) with 3.5 percent
sulphur content were discussed little changed at between
$479-$485 a tonne fob ARA on Wednesday.
* Crack spreads were minus $11.09 a barrel on the spot.
* Swaps held in a narrow backwardation at the front of the
curve, mirroring the Asian structure where high arrivals of
off-specification cargoes have kept supplies tight.
[ID:nSGE6A90HS]