Asia's naphtha crack extended losses for the second day to reach one week low of $40.30 a tonne but spot prices of the fuel remained firm. South Korea's GS Caltex emerged to buy heavy full-range naphtha for late October to early November delivery, a day after Hanwha Total had bought similar grades in the previous session.
GS Caltex had paid a premium of $4 to $5 on August 13 for cargoes scheduled for second-half September delivery, Reuters data showed. The fresh premiums GS Caltex had paid on Tuesday were not clear but industry sources said it would at least be double the premium it had paid on August 13. Hanwha Total had paid a premium in the high teens a tonne to Japan quotes on a C&F basis on Monday. The last time Hanwha Total had paid more than $16 a tonne premium for the heavy full-range grade was in 2018. India exported 680,000 tonnes of naphtha for August, highest monthly volume since May when it exported more than 900,000 tonnes, official data showed.

Copyright Reuters, 2019

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