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Asia Distillates: Window liquidity thins; traders eye April offers from China

Wednesday, 19 March 2025 | 01:00

Asia’s middle distillates markets were thinly discussed after yesterday’s flurry of activity, with the front-month east-west remaining narrow though ICE gasoil futures continued the uptrend.

Traders were eyeing offers from China refiners to emerge soon, given that it was past mid-month and April sales activity should start soon.

Export estimates for April-loading diesel from China were similar to March at around 400,000 metric tons, while jet fuel volumes were around 2.2 million tons in total.

Refining margins slipped for a second straight session this week to around $13.30 a barrel amid a late afternoon crude market surge.

Window activity stayed thin, with a lack of bids for 10ppm sulphur gasoil.

Cash differentials closed the trading session 3 cents lower, tracking a narrower backwardation in April-May paper timespreads.

Meanwhile, for jet fuel, the arbitrage spread between Asia and the U.S. West Coast widened significantly since the previous trading session, with traders expecting some discussions to emerge soon, given its profitability.

Regrade for April was however little changed at discounts of around $1.2 a barrel.

SINGAPORE CASH DEALS

– No deals for both fuels

INVENTORIES

– U.S. crude oil stockpiles were expected to have risen last week, while distillate and gasoline inventories likely fell, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday.

NEWS

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Source: Reuters

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