At the time of our last report on 18 Mar, strength in the physical market we saw at the start of March had started to decline, with the Dated physical differential falling about 40c down to $0.45/bbl from 05-20 Mar. While we expected buying in the physical at these lower levels, buying has been much more aggressive and sudden than anticipated. In the window, we saw Vitol bidding Forties and Totsa came in bidding Midland, both in large volume. As a result, the physical diff rallied all the way up to $1.06/bbl, with BP being a seller in the physical at these high levels. The end of refinery maintenance season heading into April may have contributed to this rally, as demand for cargoes in May is quickly increasing.
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