VOL. XLIII

No. 40

2-OCTOBER-2000

EUROPE

EU Ponders Release From Strategic Oil Products Stocks

The US decision to release 30mn barrels of crude oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) beginning in October was the dominant factor affecting crude oil markets last week (see page A11), but there was also considerable speculation as to whether the European Union (EU) would follow suit. European Commission (EC) officials debated the possibility several times during the week, and traders kept a...