Europe Gasoline/Naphtha-Gasoline crack spreads edge higher despite U.S. stockbuild

LONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Northwest European gasoline refinery profit margins rose by about 32 cents to $16.56 a barrel on Wednesday, even as U.S. stocks rose by more than expected last week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

• About 12,000 metric tons of Eurobob E5 gasoline traded on barges on Wednesday, as Glencore, Equinor, and Sahara sold to Gunvor, Aramco, and ExxonMobil.

• A further 3,000 tons of Eurobob E10 gasoline barges traded in the session, with Sahara and Shell selling to BMV Mineraloel and Varo.

• Valero Energy plans to perform upgrades to the large crude distillation unit at its 380,000 barrel-per-day Port Arthur, Texas refinery in February, said people familiar with the plant’s operations.

• U.S. gasoline stocks rose by 4.52 million barrels in the week to 214.42 million barrels, the EIA said, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.5 million-barrel build.​

• EU and UK gasoline exports hit 933,000 barrels per day last month, slightly below October's 942,000 bpd, Kpler data shows.