Asia’s lube consumption faces the prospect of a shallower seasonal slowdown in demand during the third quarter of the year.Demand was then likelier to be firmer than expected during the final months of the year.Lube demand is likely to hold well above 2.0mn t during the third quarter of the year, versus more than 2.10mn t during the second quarter, according to the Baseoilnews.com short-term outlook.Demand is set to bottom out in August before rebounding in the months of September and October.The seasonal pick-up in demand at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter showed signs of exceeding consumption levels during the same period last year.A smaller-than-expected seasonal drop in demand in the third quarter would coincide with signs of relatively balanced base oils supplies at the start of the three-month period. .Asia’s May lube demand rises
