The oil rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose four to 593 this week, up for the first time in six weeks. Grades also typically tend to be more volatile during the roll period as traders use the window to square their positions. WTI narrowed 25 cents to a minus $5.70 discount to Brent. A narrower discount makes U.S.-linked grades more expensive for foreign buyers. In refining news, Pemex is restarting the small crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 312,500 barrel-per-day (bpd) Deer Park, Texas, refinery on Friday, said people familiar with plant operations.
* Light Louisiana Sweet for April delivery was
unchanged at a midpoint of a $2.60 premium and was bid and
offered between a $2.40 and a $2.80 a barrel premium to U.S.
crude futures .
* Mars Sour was unchanged at a midpoint of a
40-cent discount and traded between a 60-cent discount and a
20-cent discount a barrel to U.S. crude futures .
* WTI Midland fell 10 cents to trade at a midpoint
of a 75-cent premium and traded between a 50-cent and a $1 a
barrel premium to U.S. crude futures .
* West Texas Sour eased 5 cents to a midpoint of a
10-cent premium and was traded between flat and a 20 cent a
barrel premium to U.S. crude futures .
* WTI at East Houston, also known as MEH, traded between 75
cents and $1.25 over WTI.
* ICE Brent May futures fell 92 cents to settle at
$74.99 a barrel.
* WTI April crude futures down 70 cents to settle at
$69.26 a barrel.
* The Brent/WTI spread widened 14 cents to
minus $5.70, after hitting a high of minus $5.66 and a low of
minus $5.97.
(Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar in Houston;
Editing by Marguerita Choy)
