Distillates

The Dec’24 Brent futures contract saw sustained strength this afternoon, trading at $74.82/bbl at 12:00 BST and reaching $76.20/bbl at 17:45 BST (time of writing). Price action was on the rise this afternoon as the Chinese Ministry of Commerce lifted its crude oil import quota for 2025 by 6% to 5.14mb/d, as per Reuters. In the news today, the IMF has lifted their 2024 growth forecast for the US by 0.2% to 2.8% but has cut the forecast for China by 0.2% to 4.8%, citing continued weakness in the property sector and low consumer confidence. The IMF’s 2025 China growth forecast was unchanged at 4.5%. In other news, Chinese demand for natural gas is set to jump by more than 50% by 2040 and reach 100m tons in LNG imports very soon, according to an executive at Cheniere Energy, Yingying Zhou, in a statement at the Asia Gas Markets conference. Finally, a Bloomberg report revealed that the US is monitoring shadow fleets in Southeast Asia, posing safety and environmental hazards. Malaysian coasts currently harbour the largest cluster of shadow fleet tankers, where ship-to-ship (STS) transfers are made to hide the origin of the oil. At the time of writing, the front-month (Dec/Jan’25) and six-month (Dec/Jun’25) Brent futures spreads are at $0.50/bbl and $1.77/bbl, respectively.

The Dec’24 Brent futures contract found strength this morning, trading at $73.29/bbl at 07:00 BST and increasing to $74.10/bbl at 11:00 BST (time of writing). Price action saw upward movement this morning amid a new wave of Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah-affiliated financial institutions, heightening concerns that Israel is expanding its offensive beyond military infrastructure. Meanwhile, satellite imagery has shown that Iran has partially filled its Jask oil terminal with crude oil, as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz for oil exports. In the news today, according to the General Administration of Customs (GACC), China reduced its crude imports from major suppliers in the month of September. GACC data showed China’s daily crude imports from Russia, Iraq, and Brazil fell m/m by 4.52%, 16.00%, and 48.85%, respectively. However, crude imports from Saudi Arabia increased to 1.81mb/d, up 44.92% m/m since August. In other news, South Sudan’s crude oil exports are set to resume as a blockage in a northern pipeline via Sudan has been cleared. As per Bloomberg, the pipeline funnelled more than 150kb/d to Port Sudan prior to its breakdown in February this year. Finally, the Indian oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that India’s petrochemical sector is projected to receive investments worth $87 billion over the next decade to meet rising demand. At the time of writing, the front month (Dec/Jan’25) and six-month (Dec/Jun’25) Brent futures spreads are at $0.36/bbl and $1.43/bbl, respectively.

The Dec’24 Brent futures contract found strength this morning, trading at $73.29/bbl at 07:00 BST and increasing to $74.10/bbl at 11:00 BST (time of writing). Price action saw upward movement this morning amid a new wave of Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah-affiliated financial institutions, heightening concerns that Israel is expanding its offensive beyond military infrastructure. Meanwhile, satellite imagery has shown that Iran has partially filled its Jask oil terminal with crude oil, as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz for oil exports. In the news today, according to the General Administration of Customs (GACC), China reduced its crude imports from major suppliers in the month of September. GACC data showed China’s daily crude imports from Russia, Iraq, and Brazil fell m/m by 4.52%, 16.00%, and 48.85%, respectively. However, crude imports from Saudi Arabia increased to 1.81mb/d, up 44.92% m/m since August. In other news, South Sudan’s crude oil exports are set to resume as a blockage in a northern pipeline via Sudan has been cleared. As per Bloomberg, the pipeline funnelled more than 150kb/d to Port Sudan prior to its breakdown in February this year. Finally, the Indian oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that India’s petrochemical sector is projected to receive investments worth $87 billion over the next decade to meet rising demand. At the time of writing, the front month (Dec/Jan’25) and six-month (Dec/Jun’25) Brent futures spreads are at $0.36/bbl and $1.43/bbl, respectively.

Dec’24 Brent futures weakened this afternoon, from over $74.50/bbl at 13:20 BST to $72.55/bbl at 16:25 BS, recovering $73.25/bbl at 17:10 BST (time of writing). Total is planning a shutdown of its largest European refinery, in Antwerp, in 2025. This facility, which is the company’s biggest oil-processing plant in Europe with a capacity of around 340kb/d, will undergo maintenance starting in September. The scheduled work will focus on the crude processing units and one of the refinery’s two fluid catalytic crackers (FCCs). China’s diesel exports fell to 350kt in September, the lowest since June 2023, due to limited shipment quotas and near break-even margins. This marks a 71% drop from the same month last year, with total petroleum exports reaching just 730kt, the lowest since April. China’s new home prices in September saw their steepest decline since May 2015, dropping 5.8% year-on-year, according to official data. This follows a 5.3% decrease in August, despite efforts to revive the property sector. At the time of writing, the front month (Dec/Jan’25) and six-month (Dec/Jun’25) Brent futures spreads are at $0.41/bbl and $1.43/bbl, respectively.

The Dec’24 Brent futures contract strengthened marginally this afternoon, trading at $73.96/bbl at 12:00 BST and reaching $74.20/bbl at 17:50 BST (time of writing). We saw volatility in price action throughout the afternoon amid the release of the IEA October oil market report, alongside concerns of conflict escalation in the Middle East. In the news today, the IEA has released their oil market report for October, showing global oil demand is set to increase by just 862kb/d this year due to decelerating demand in China. This latest estimate is down from the 903kb/d forecast published in the September IEA report. In other news, Israeli troops have begun clearing landmines near Golan Heights, signalling a potential expansion of ground operations against Hezbollah for the first time further east along Lebanon’s border, according to Reuters. Finally, Russian refinery maintenance has pushed the country’s oil exports to their highest level in three months. Average oil exports inched up by 7kb/d to 3.33mb/d in the four weeks to 13 Oct, as per data compiled by Bloomberg. At the time of writing, the front month (Dec/Jan’25) and six-month (Dec/Jun’25) Brent futures spreads are at $0.37/bbl and $1.53/bbl, respectively.

The Dec’24 Brent futures contract strengthened marginally this afternoon, trading at $73.96/bbl at 12:00 BST and reaching $74.20/bbl at 17:50 BST (time of writing). We saw volatility in price action throughout the afternoon amid the release of the IEA October oil market report, alongside concerns of conflict escalation in the Middle East. In the news today, the IEA has released their oil market report for October, showing global oil demand is set to increase by just 862kb/d this year due to decelerating demand in China. This latest estimate is down from the 903kb/d forecast published in the September IEA report. In other news, Israeli troops have begun clearing landmines near Golan Heights, signalling a potential expansion of ground operations against Hezbollah for the first time further east along Lebanon’s border, according to Reuters. Finally, Russian refinery maintenance has pushed the country’s oil exports to their highest level in three months. Average oil exports inched up by 7kb/d to 3.33mb/d in the four weeks to 13 Oct, as per data compiled by Bloomberg. At the time of writing, the front month (Dec/Jan’25) and six-month (Dec/Jun’25) Brent futures spreads are at $0.37/bbl and $1.53/bbl, respectively.

The Dec’24 Brent futures contract strengthened marginally this afternoon, trading at $73.96/bbl at 12:00 BST and reaching $74.20/bbl at 17:50 BST (time of writing). We saw volatility in price action throughout the afternoon amid the release of the IEA October oil market report, alongside concerns of conflict escalation in the Middle East. In the news today, the IEA has released their oil market report for October, showing global oil demand is set to increase by just 862kb/d this year due to decelerating demand in China. This latest estimate is down from the 903kb/d forecast published in the September IEA report. In other news, Israeli troops have begun clearing landmines near Golan Heights, signalling a potential expansion of ground operations against Hezbollah for the first time further east along Lebanon’s border, according to Reuters. Finally, Russian refinery maintenance has pushed the country’s oil exports to their highest level in three months. Average oil exports inched up by 7kb/d to 3.33mb/d in the four weeks to 13 Oct, as per data compiled by Bloomberg. At the time of writing, the front month (Dec/Jan’25) and six-month (Dec/Jun’25) Brent futures spreads are at $0.37/bbl and $1.53/bbl, respectively.