LONDON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Gasoline refining margins innorthwest Europe dipped on Wednesday, weighed by weak exporteconomics, but a larger than expected draw in U.S. inventoriesof the motor fuel capped losses.
* U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 2.7 millionbarrels last week, compared with analysts' expectations in aReuters poll for a 1.6 million barrels drop, data from theEnergy Information Administration showed.
* The draw is likely to encourage exports from Europe to theU.S. after a period of slow trading along the route.
* Spot cargoes that have recently been booked ontransatlantic route from Europe were likely heading to SouthAmerica or Canada, traders said.
* Northwest European gasoline blending components weretightening after a string of cargo bookings of finished grade towest Africa in recent weeks and as China drew reformate cargoes,traders said.
* Traders also said the gasoline arbitrage from northwestEurope to the Mediterranean was open.
* Turkey's Tupras is calling for bids to sell one or two30,000-35,000 tonne cargoes of unleaded 95 RON gasoline everymonth between Oct. 1 and March 31, 2017, according to tenderdocument seen by Reuters.
* Bids need to be submitted by Aug. 18 at 1800 GMT and willremain valid until Aug. 26 at 1600 GMT.
* Weak Asian demand opened up a rare naphtha arbitrage fromIndia and the Middle East to Europe, with traders heard bookingcargoes from the two regions with delivery options to ARA,traders said. No specific tankers were immediately confirmedalong the routes.
GASOLINE
* There were no Eurobob trades during the afternoon tradingwindow. There were no bids or offers.
* Some 6,000 tonnes traded in the morning at $462 a tonnefob Amsterdam-Rotterdam, unchanged. Gunvor and Total sold to OELPool, Shell and BP.
* Rolympus sold two barges of premium unleaded gasoline toTotal at $491 a tonne fob ARA, up from $484 a tonne fob ARA onTuesday.
* Gasoline barge refining margins fell slightly to $7.10 abarrel from $7.39 a barrel.
* The September swap stood at around $477 a tonne at theclose, up from $470 a tonne.
* Brent crude oil futures were down 6 cents at$48.17 a barrel by 1537 GMT.
* U.S. August RBOB gasoline futures were up 0.84 percent at 1.4346 a gallon.
* The U.S. gasoline crack
NAPHTHA
* BP sold a cargo to Total at $388 a tonne cif NWE, up from$380 a tonne on Tuesday. (Reporting by Ron Bousso, Editing by Ahmad Ghaddar)