Gasoline prices hold near March highs amid tight supply

NEW DELHI, Sept 21 (Reuters) — Asia's gasoline prices traded near March highs on Monday as firm demand from key importers amid tight supplies and low inventories at major trading hubs underpinned market sentiment, traders and analysts said. The price for benchmark grade fuel traded at about $139 per barrel. The gasoline crack traded at about $38 per barrel over Brent crude. Indonesia's Pertamina bought another 200,000 barrels of 92-octane gasoline last week on top of 400,000 barrels in the prior week, indicating firm demand, market participants said. Pakistan's PSO is due to award a tender to buy a cargo of transport fuel on Sept. 22, they added. In naphtha market, prices were steady at firm levels of around $923 per metric ton. In tenders, Mitsui Chemicals bought a first-half November cargo at a premium of high double digits on cost and freight basis to Japan quotes, market sources said. News - Oil prices slid to their lowest in 11 days on Monday as investors hoped for diplomatic progress on the Iran war due to this week's UN meeting, and eyed a partial recovery in shipments from Saudi Arabia. O/R - Trading house Trafigura said on Monday it had launched Volare Shipping, which would own and operate 14 supertankers, adding that it plans to sell shares in the business before listing it on the Norwegian stock exchange next month. Singapore Cash Deals O/AS Two gasoline and one naphtha trade. Prices CASH ASIA Chan Prev RIC CLOSE ge Close OSN Naphtha CFR 922.75 -2.0 924.75 OSN Naphtha CFR 894.00 -2.0 896.00 OSN Naphtha Diff 28.75 0.00 28.75 Naphtha Netback 100.53 -0.2 100.75 Naphtha-Brent 162.03 10.0 151.95 Gasoline 97 146.56 0.10 146.46 Gasoline 95 145.55 0.10 145.45 Gasoline 92 139.10 0.10 139.00 Gasoline crack 37.67 1.71 35.96 For a list of derivatives prices, including margins, please double click the RICs below. Brent M1 Naphtha CFR Japan Naphtha CFR Japan Naphtha CFR Japan Naphtha Netback M1 Naphtha Netback M2 Naphtha FOB Sing Naphtha FOB Sing Naphtha FOB Sing Naphtha Cracks M1 East-West Naphtha East-West Naphtha NEW Naphtha M1 NEW Naphtha M1/M2 NEW Naphtha M2 Crack NEW Crack NEW Sing refers to Singapore (Reporting by Mohi Narayan; Editing by Sahal Muhammed) ((Mohi.Narayan@thomsonreuters.com; )