Record sales of transport fuels in India point to strong demand

Indian sales of diesel and gasoline surged to records in May, in a rare bullish sign for global oil markets.

Diesel sales in the world’s third-biggest crude importer rose 13% last month from a year earlier, according to government data. Gasoline was up 11%, while overall consumption, which also includes fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and naphtha, increased 9%.

The strong sales came after the Indian economy beat expectations to expand by 6.1% in the quarter through March, although growth is expected to slow through the rest of this year. The uptick in buying will also be a fillip for India’s state-run fuel retailers, who have kept diesel and gasoline prices unchanged since April last year.


Consumption in May was higher-than-estimated and there’s some upside potential given the outperformance, Standard Chartered Plc analysts Emily Ashford and Paul Horsnell said in a note.

Executives at state refiners Indian Oil Corp., Bharat Petroleum Corp. and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. didn’t immediately reply to phone calls seeking comment.

--With assistance from Vrishti Beniwal.