US Cash Crude-Mars eases 10 cents as WTI/Brent spread narrows slightly

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Mars sour crude weakened on Wednesday as the spread between West Texas Intermediate and Brent narrowed for the third straight session.

Mars weakened 10 cents, while WTI Midland and WTI at East Houston, also known as MEH, were unchanged.

The spread between Brent and U.S. WTI crude narrowed to settle at minus $4.28. A narrower spread discourages U.S. exports.

U.S. crude oil stockpiles fell sharply last week as net imports dropped to a record low amid a jump in exports to a near two-year high, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.

Crude stocks fell by 9.3 million barrels last week to 415.4 million barrels, the EIA said, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 857,000-barrel draw.

In refining news, U.S. oil refiners are expected to have about 787,000 barrels per day (bpd) of capacity offline in the week ending September 19, decreasing available refining capacity by 190,000 bpd, research company IIR Energy said on Wednesday.

• Light Louisiana Sweet for October delivery was unchanged at a midpoint of a $1.90 premium and was seen bid and offered between a $1.60 and $2.20 a barrel premium to U.S. crude futures CLc1 ​

• Mars Sour eased 10 cents to a midpoint of a 30-cent premium and was seen bid and offered between a 10-cent and 50-cent a barrel premium to U.S. crude futures CLc1 ​

• WTI Midland was unchanged at a midpoint of a $1 premium and was seen bid and offered between a 75-cent and $1.25 a barrel premium to U.S. crude futures CLc1 ​

• West Texas Sour firmed 10 cents to a midpoint of a parity and was seen bid and offered between a discount of 30 cents​​ and a 30-cent a barrel premium to U.S. crude futures CLc1 ​

• WTI at East Houston, also known as MEH, traded between a $1.15 and $1.55 a barrel premium to U.S. crude futures CLc1

• • ICE Brent November futures LCOc1 fell 52 cents to settle at $67.95 a barrel on Wednesday​.

  • WTI October crude CLc1 futures fell 47 cents to settle at $64.05 a barrel on Wednesday​.

  • The Brent/WTI spread narrowed 3 cents to last trade at minus $4.28, after hitting a high of minus $4.25 and a low of minus $4.33.