Nov 15 (Reuters) - Asia's gasoline margins rose on Friday even as 200,000 barrels of the benchmark grade of octane exchanged hands at the closing window.
The crack rose to $4.69 per barrel over Brent crude, from $4.25 on Thursday.
In naphtha, the margins slipped by $5.96 to an 11-week low of $81.68 per metric ton over Brent crude, its lowest since Aug. 29.
Oil prices fell on Friday as investors weighed signs demand in top crude importer China continues to underperform amid the country's uneven economic recovery and expectations of fewer U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts.
China's refinery throughput in October fell 4.6% from last year, down from year earlier for a seventh month, as plant closures offset the ramp up of a newly started complex and demand from holiday travel, official data showed on Friday.
Top U.S. refiners kept focused on shareholder returns with hefty stock buybacks and dividends in the third quarter even though profits fell due to weakening fuel demand and refining margins.
SINGAPORE CASH DEALS
Three gasoline deals and one naphtha trade.
PRICES
CASH ASIA CLOSE Change Prev Close RIC
OSN Naphtha CFR Japan M1 618.00 -11.50 629.50
($/mt)
OSN Naphtha CFR Japan M2 618.00 -12.00 630.00
($/mt)
OSN Naphtha Diff ($/mt) 0.00 0.50 -0.50 > Naphtha Netback FOB Sing 66.67 -1.22 67.89 ($/bbl) Naphtha Diff FOB Sing 0.40 0.00 0.40 > Naphtha-Brent Crack 81.67 -5.96 87.63 ($/mt) > Gasoline 97 ($/bbl) 81.24 -0.30 81.54 Gasoline 95 ($/bbl) 81.80 -0.30 82.10 Gasoline 92 ($/bbl) 76.20 -0.30 76.50 Gasoline crack ($/bbl) 4.69 0.44 4.25 K> For a list of derivatives prices, including margins, please double click the RICs below. Brent M1 Naphtha CFR Japan M1 > Naphtha CFR Japan M1/M2 > Naphtha CFR Japan M2 > Naphtha Japan-Sing Netback M1 > Naphtha Japan-Sing Netback M2 > Naphtha FOB Sing M1 > Naphtha FOB Sing M1/M2 > Naphtha FOB Sing M2 > Naphtha Cracks M1 > East-West Naphtha M1 East-West Naphtha M2 NWE Naphtha M1 NWE Naphtha M1/M2 > NWE Naphtha M2 Crack NWE Naphtha-Brent M1 > Crack NWE Naphtha-Brent M2 > *Sing refers to Singapore (Reporting by Haridas; Editing by Susan Fenton) ((Haridas.X@thomsonreuters.com;))
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