Rally in Middle East Oil Has Traders Piling In at Record Level - Bloomberg

Rally in Middle East Oil Has Traders Piling In at Record Level - Bloomberg

Oil traders hold a record position in a contract that lets them bet on the price difference between Middle Eastern crude and the global Brent benchmark, highlighting how unprecedented sanctions on Russian exports are shaking up flows.

Open interest on the Brent-Dubai contract traded on Intercontinental Exchange Inc. climbed to a record 448,000 contracts this week. That comes after Dubai prices recently hit their biggest premium since at least 2015.

Betting on the price difference between the two grades has been one of the most significant trades in the oil market since the US announced aggressive sanctions on Russia earlier this month. The restrictions forced buyers to hunt for replacement barrels — many of which come from the Middle East — pushing up prices of grades in that region relative to the rest of the world.

There are already signs of a knock-on effect of big premiums for Middle Eastern oil.

Millions of barrels that would normally be snapped up by European refineries, such as crude from places like the North Sea and Kazakhstan, have instead sailed to Asia as large price swings make supplies from farther afield more attractive.

Gulf markets end mixed as investors eye earnings | Reuters

Gulf markets end mixed as investors eye earnings | Reuters

Stock markets in the Gulf ended mixed on Thursday ahead of more corporate earnings, with the Dubai index ending four sessions of losses.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI), opens new tab fell 0.2%, with Al Rajhi Bank (1120.SE), opens new tab losing 1.4%.

In the previous session, the lender advanced 4.7%, after Al Rajhi reported an 18.7% surge in its net profit to 19.72 billion riyals ($5.26 billion) for 2024. The bank proposed a second-half cash dividend of 1.46 riyal per share, up from 1.15 riyal a year earlier.

Alinma Bank (1150.SE), opens new tab dropped 2.3% despite reporting a higher annual profit.

Dubai's main share index (.DFMGI), opens new tab added 0.5%, led by a 2.3% leap in blue-chip developer Emaar Properties (EMAR.DU), opens new tab.

Among other gainers, Dubai Financial Market (DFM.DU), opens new tab gained 1.3%, ahead of its results.

In Abu Dhabi, the index (.FTFADGI), opens new tab added 0.2%, with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) (ADCB.AD), opens new tab climbing 3.7%, rising for a third consecutive session.

On Monday, ADCB reported a higher fourth-quarter net profit of 2.57 billion dirhams ($699.78 million), along with an annual dividend of 0.59 dirhams.
Additionally, the bank projected a doubling of net profits to 20 billion dirhams within five years.

In Qatar, the index (.QSI), opens new tab eased 0.1%, hit by a 0.6% fall in Qatar National Bank (QNBK.QA), opens new tab and a 1.9% slide in Qatar Gast Transport (Nakilat) (QGTS.QA), opens new tab.

Nakilat - the world's largest shipper of liquefied natural gas - on Wednesday retreated 2.4% after proposing a lower annual dividend.

However, the firm recorded a net profit of 1.64 billion riyals ($449.89 million), compared with 1.56 billion riyals a year ago.

On the other hand, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding Co (MPHC.QA), opens new tab rose 1.9% ahead of the firm reporting its 2024 results.

Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index (.EGX30), opens new tab gained 0.4%, with Talaat Moustafa Holding (TMGH.CA), opens new tab gaining 0.9%.