US Cash Products-Gasoline up on refinery outages

NEW YORK, July 30 (Reuters) - Gasoline differentials east of the Rockies added to this week's gains on Wednesday, supported by refinery outages, traders said.

In the Midwest's Chicago market, gasoline has moved up about nine cents since Monday on refinery buying, particularly by Citgo, which is scheduled to shut a gasoline-making fluid catalytic cracking unit this week.

U.S. Gulf Coast gasoline has also gotten a boost, gaining six cents this week on good buying by major refiner ConocoPhillips, which confirmed a problem with a gasoline-making unit at its Belle Chasse, Louisiana refinery.

Meanwhile, gasoline values in the Northeast remain supported overall by lower imports, traders said.

Government data released on Wednesday showed that national gasoline inventories fell 3.5 million barrels last week on sluggish production and imports of the motor fuel falling to their lowest level since early May.

Demand for gasoline has been 2.4 percent lower during the last four weeks than it was last year, with demand weak due to high prices at the pump.

In refinery news, Irving Oil said Canada's largest refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick, was operating at reduced rates Wednesday after a fire Tuesday night, but is expected to return to normal over the next 24 hours. [ID:nN30484498]

BP cut rates on a gasoline-making fluid catalytic cracker on Tuesday at its Texas City, Texas refinery, following an upset, it said in a filing with Texas regulators Wednesday.[ID:nN30483582] Frontier Oil Corp. said that it has delayed its coker turnaround and expansion to August 1.[ID:nN30464107]

U.S. crude futures gained on Wednesday, boosted by the much larger than expected gasoline drawdown. [O/N] [O/R]