Oman crude trades above $40 per barrel

Dubai: Benchmark Oman crude oil trading on the Dubai Mercantile Exchange-traded above $40 per barrel on Monday for the first time in almost three months, making it the first internationally traded crude oil futures contract to break the $40/b mark since the oil price recovery started early May.
Front-month August DME Oman traded at a high of $40.09/b, up $0.30/b from Friday’s settlement price of $39.79/b. Oman last traded above $40/b on March 6 of this year.
The DME Marker Price for Monday was set earlier in the day at $39.62/b. The Marker Price is used by Middle East producers Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Dubai in calculating the monthly Official Selling Price (OSP).
Middle East prices have recovered faster than those in Europe, with DME Oman trading at around $2/b over the Brent North Sea benchmark on Monday.
DME is the premier international energy futures and commodities exchange in the Middle East. It aims to provide oil producers, traders and consumers engaged in the East of Suez markets with transparent pricing of crude oil.
Launched in 2007, DME has rapidly grown into a globally relevant exchange. Its flagship Oman Crude Oil Futures Contract (DME Oman) contract is now firmly established as the most credible crude oil benchmark relevant to the rapidly growing East of Suez market. Reflecting the economics of the Asian region like no other contract, and the largest physically delivered crude oil futures contract in the world, DME Oman is the world’s third crude oil benchmark and the sole benchmark for Oman and Dubai exported crude oil.
DME is a fully electronic exchange, with regulatory permissions allowing access from more than 20 jurisdictions, including the major financial centres of Asia, Europe and the United States. The Exchange is located within the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), a financial free zone designed to promote financial services within the UAE. The DME is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority and all trades executed on the DME are cleared through and guaranteed by CME Clearing.
DME is a joint venture between Dubai Holding, Oman Investment Fund and CME Group. Global financial institutions and energy trading firms including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Shell, Vitol and Concord Energy also hold equity stakes in the DME.