Thai september fuel demand up 6.5%

Demand for oil products in Thailand, excluding bitumen and liquefied petroleum gas, rose for the fifth month in September, up 6.5% from a year earlier to 539,489 barrels per day, energy ministry data showed. The pickup in demand came at a time of relatively low oil prices and optimism in some quarters that the economy was probably over its worst after falling into recession. Demand for 95-octane gasoline fell 23% in September from the same month a year earlier as drivers favored subsidized gasohol, data showed. (November 3, 2009)