Middle East crude oil has been a mainstay of the Asian refining sector for many decades. More recently, regional producers have benefited from the demand surge in the fast-growing economies of China and India. But in a market that is increasingly globally interlinked, competing supplies from the West and Africa constantly vie for market share. Producers, refiners and traders use oil benchmarks to analyze arbitrage economics. Platts Dated Brent and Platts Dubai are among the most widely used benchmarks around the world for physical crude oil prices. Each has its own characteristics, with the Dated Brent complex ... (full story)