Atlantic Crude Discounts Offset by High VLCC Freight to Asia - News and Statistics
Published . Updated .
Atlantic crude discounts are being erased by VLCC freight premiums of $8-$16 per barrel to Ningbo, pushing more barrels into European competition as Middle East supply and pricing regain an edge in Asia.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- USO United States Oil Fund+2.7% 30d
United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “crude” (oil) in this story.
- XLE Energy Select Sector SPDR+5.6% 30d
Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “crude” (oil) in this story.
- BWET Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF+61.1% 18d
Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks tanker freight rates. Linked by “vlcc” (tanker shipping) in this story.
- AAXJ iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF-9.9% 19d
iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF holds stocks listed in Asia, which this story is about (“asia”).
- VGK Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF holds stocks listed in Europe, which this story is about (“european”).
- FRO Frontline+7.1% 30d
Frontline (deep sea foreign transportation of freight, with business in Europe): tanker owners earn more when more crude has to move by sea. Linked by “vlcc” (tanker shipping) in this story.
- SHEL Shell+0.1% 13d
Shell (crude petroleum and natural gas, with business in Europe): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “crude” (oil) in this story.
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings+11.8% 12d
ExxonMobil Holdings (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “crude” (oil) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USONo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XLENo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BWETNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AAXJNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| VGKNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FRO | -4.64% | -1.64% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| SHELNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XOM | -1.00% | +1.85% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
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Atlantic Crude Discounts Offset by High VLCC Freight to Asia - News and Statistics IndexBox
Source: IndexBox
Middle East
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| FRO | three days earlier | -1.64% | final price |
| FRO | five days earlier | -4.64% | final price |
| XOM | three days earlier | +1.85% | final price |
| XOM | five days earlier | -1.00% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) (jointly held), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 31 Aug 2026. That is 58 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM), worth $250,001 - $500,000 on 31 Jul 2026. That is 89 days before publication. Filed 22 Sep 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Where this story sits: Middle East
Geopolitics Alpha has 0 stories about Middle East from the past 7 days and 0 stories from the past 30. “Atlantic Crude Discounts Offset by High VLCC Freight to Asia - News and Statistics” is tagged to Middle East.
How solid the energy case looks
12 out of 100
“Atlantic Crude Discounts Offset by High VLCC Freight to Asia - News and Statistics” scores 12 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources.