S&P Global Platts
Largest oil price reporting agency; publishes Dated Brent, Platts Dubai, and ARA barge crack assessments daily.
Last refreshed: 18 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is Platts' Dated Brent MOC the most consequential 30 minutes in global oil markets?
Timeline for S&P Global Platts
EIA pencils Brent at $89 by Q4 2026
European Oil MarketsFujairah stocks at record low 6.5mb
European Oil Markets- What is Dated Brent and how is it assessed by Platts?
- Dated Brent is S&P Global Platts' physical crude benchmark for North Sea oil, derived from the BFOET basket (Brent, Forties, Oseberg, Ekofisk, Troll) via a Market on Close window run 16:00-16:30 London time. It is the most widely referenced physical crude price globally, used as the base for the majority of international crude oil contracts.Source: S&P Global Platts
- How do Platts ARA barge cracks work?
- Platts ARA barge crack assessments price the margin between refined products (gasoil, EBOB, jet fuel) and crude oil at Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp hub prices, using Dated Brent as the crude reference. They are contractual benchmarks for European refining margins and product-vs-crude spread trades.Source: S&P Global Platts
- What Brent price did Platts and EIA forecast for Q4 2026?
- The EIA's May 2026 STEO forecast Brent at $89/BBL by Q4 2026, using Platts' Dated Brent assessment as the base. The forecast implied a significant decline from the Q2 $106/BBL level as OPEC+ hike volumes and demand moderation were priced into the forward curve.Source: EIA STEO / S&P Global Platts
- How does the Platts MOC window affect European oil trading?
- The Platts Market on Close window (16:00-16:30 London) is the daily price-setting event for Dated Brent and European product assessments. Trading desks manage their physical positions to be neutral or advantaged relative to the window's outcome; the 30-minute period sees concentrated activity from the largest crude trading houses.
Background
S&P Global Platts (now branded S&P Global Commodity Insights) is the largest price reporting agency (PRA) for global oil markets, founded in 1909 and acquired by S&P Global in 2016. Its flagship product is Dated Brent — derived from the North Sea BFOET basket via a daily Market on Close (MOC) window at 16:00-16:30 UK time — the most widely used physical crude benchmark in the world. Platts also publishes Platts Dubai, ARA barge crack assessments, NWE jet CIF, and European refined products bulletins.
S&P Global Platts is the price reference underpinning the EIA's Brent forecasts and the ARA crack context in the May 2026 European oil briefing: when the EIA pencilled Brent at $89/BBL by Q4, the baseline was Platts' Dated Brent assessment. Platts' ARA barge crack assessments for gasoil versus Brent quantified the product margin impact of BP Rotterdam's dual-unit shutdown in the same period.
For European oil desks, Platts' daily assessments are contractual reference prices rather than market data: the majority of physical crude and product contracts are priced on a Dated Brent or Platts Dubai basis, with ARA barge cracks used as spread references. Platts' North Sea Crude Monitor and European Refined Products bulletins are read at market open as the overnight positioning reference.
