Benchmark northwest European gasoline refining margins fell sharply on Thursday after a sharp rise in crude prices and higher Atlantic basin stocks. Gasoline stocks in independently held storage at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp refining and storage hub rose in the week to Thursday by over 4 percent to around 1.05 million tonnes, according to data from Dutch consultancy PJK International.

US gasoline stocks rose by 4.6 million barrels last week, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 587,000-barrel gain, Energy Information Administration data showed. No EBOB barges traded in the afternoon window. A bid emerged at $711 a tonne fob ARA. Elsewhere, 14,000 tonnes of Eurobob gasoline traded at $703.50-$710 a tonne fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam, compared with $697-$719 a tonne on Wednesday. Total, Prax and AOT sold to Litasco, Gunvor, Finco, Trafigura and Shell.

No barges of premium unleaded gasoline traded. The June swap stood at $711.25 a tonne at the close, up from $697 a tonne on Wednesday. The benchmark EBOB gasoline refining margin fell sharply to $8.942 a barrel from $10.462.

Copyright Reuters, 2018