By Konstantin Rozhnov Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--The price premium for European benchmark Brent crude over U.S.-traded West Texas Intermediate oil futures grew Tuesday to the widest level since October, touching the $20.05 a barrel mark. Brent crude is well supported by geopolitical tensions, which could lead to supply shortages, while Nymex crude is being pressured again by rising oil stocks in the U.S. At 1127 GMT, the spread stood at $19.86 a barrel. As recently as the end of December, the premium was around $7-$8 a barrel. "It appears that the times of a relatively narrower Brent/WTI spread are over for the time being, as traders can be expected to bet on rising stockpiles in Cushing over the coming months amid rising pipeline inflows and upcoming maintenance, even though storage space as yet remains ample," JBC Energy said in a note. -By Konstantin Rozhnov, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 207 842 9956; konstantin.rozhnov@dowjones.com

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