Northwest European diesel profit margins dropped on Friday to $18.80 a barrel after Atlantic basin inventories declined while imports into the region were set to rise.

Traders said diesel exports from the U.S. Gulf Coast were set to rise in November from the previous month.

Gasoil stocks independently held in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub declined by 2% in the week to Thursday, data from Dutch consultancy Insights Global showed.

Gasoil stocks, which include diesel and heating oil, declined to 2.37 million tons due to strong demand in inland markets up the Rhine River, Insight Global’s Lars van Wageningen said.

U.S. distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell last week by 100,000 barrels to 114.3 million barrels, versus expectations for a 20,000-barrel decline, EIA data showed.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Ron Bousso; Editing by Shreya Biswas)