U.S. cash crude-diffs mixed as Norway ends oil strike

NEW YORK, July 10 (Reuters) - U.S. cash crude grades were
mixed on Tuesday as the transatlantic crude spread narrowed and
Norway's government ordered an end to a strike that threatened
to entirely shut in North Sea crude production.

Mars sour MRS- firmed slightly, trading for as much as
$10.15 a barrel above West Texas Intermediate WTC-, or 15
cents higher than its biggest advantage to WTI reported on
Monday. Alaska North Slope ANS- traded for $15.75 a barrel
above WTI, up from +$15.50 on Monday.

West Texas Intermediate at Midland WTM- traded for as much
as $1.25 a barrel below WTI, down from $1.15 below on Monday.

Oslo intervened late Monday in Norway's oil strike, with the
government ordering a halt to the labor action before it could
completely shut down the exporting country's production from the
North Sea.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration, in a monthly
energy market report, revised downward its outlook for global
oil consumption this year and next on signs of lagging world
economic growth, but said that U.S. crude oil production was
slated to rise to the highest level since 1997 this year.

The end of a three week-long oil strike in Norway helped to
narrow the transatlantic crude spread, which had widened to as
much as $14.65 a barrel in favor of Brent on Monday, to less
than $14 a barrel on Tuesday.

It also pushed oil futures prices lower, with U.S. crude
settling down $2.08 per barrel to $83.91 a barrel.

(Reporting by New York Energy Desk; Editing by David Gregorio)