Bitumen market conditions and prices remained almost unchanged since Oil prices retreated this week, retracing most of the gains achieved last week, putting crude nearly back where it started before the latest rally. WTI dropped to $46 per barrel on October 15 and Brent fell under $49. The EIA reported bearish weekly figures, which depressed crude markets. Refinery inputs dropped and crude inventories shot up by 7.6 million barrels, the most in six months. The jump in storage levels renewed fears of oversupply.

Oil prices have stabilized somewhat around the $60 per barrel mark, and over the past few weeks oil has shown less volatility than what we have grown used to in the preceding six or seven months. Emad Honarparvar, CEO of Modiran Trading says: "Iran and Saudi Arabia continue to contradict in benefits from new oil prices, and this is not only about economics."