Brian

....increase distribution option, common sense business decision, strategic relationship, tactical planning, arrogance of production held by some on this board, strategic objectives....

I wish everything was so trivial as you suggest.

What if some ignorant poster would suggest to you that the recent run up in the Brent Oil price is the effect of the of the simple trading play of commodity trading house Hetco.

At the end of the January day made a bet and took control of 25% of the Brent cargos and 30% of the North Sea Forties oil shipments and effectively drive the pricers up. The bet was based on the assumption of the unrest spreading in the Arab`s World.

Sort of similar bet like the Rebel made on the WTI oil by purchasing the HOU.

Some traders are now speculating that the Hetco will be forced to unload their inventory in February/March just in time when seasonal maintenance shut down of the Europeans refineries kicks off and crude demand droops down.

This may take care of the Brent OIL prices and the spread. Remember, the spread is on the future markets (paper OIL). There is no shortage of Crude for the refineries refining Brent OIL.