RE: Spread between WTI and Brent5 Jul 2021 19:28
My understanding
It’s all down to supply and demand. WTI was not wanted by domestic refiners in the volumes being produced during the shale boom. They had to export it and to be competitive with similar benchmarks after shipping costs they had to discount it.
Before shale (and when the export ban was in place), WTI traded at a premium.
There may be other factors, like Venezuela sanctions, that make it more expensive for US refiners to import oil. And Opec+ have been targeting the US market with fewer cargos to drive down inventories I think. Also demand for certain products may make certain blends more desirable.