New York (Platts)--5Nov2008

NYMEX's front-month crude future contract on the CME's Globex system was
$1.89/barrel lower at $68.64/b Wednesday, as markets shifted their focus back
to the broader economy now that the US presidential election has been decided.

S&P 500 and Dow Jones futures were signaling a lower open for US equity
markets while the US dollar was marginally higher. The US Dollar Index on ICE
was 21.1 points higher at 84.995 at 12:39 GMT.

Next up as far as financial markets are concerned is Friday's US
employment report. Consensus estimates are calling for a decline of 190,000
jobs in September's non-farm payroll.

Insofar as petroleum markets are concerned, today's US oil data could
temporarily shift the markets' focus back to supply/demand fundamentals. As
has been the case the past few months, oil demand data will be scrutinized for
signs that lower prices may have had a stimulative effect or not.

Analysts polled by Platts were expecting a 500,000 barrel build in US
crude stocks to be announced by the EIA Wednesday afternoon, plus a 1.1.
million barrel decline in gasoline inventories and a 1.4 million barrel
increase in middle distillates.
--Linda Rafield, linda_rafield@platts.com