# Explaining The Double Digit WTI Discount | OilPrice.com

> Western Canada Select widened to a record discount against WTI, falling to $41 per barrel by May 31, or $25 below WTI. Pipeline capacity is full in Alberta and the Permian basin, forcing producers to rely on rail or truck at high cost. Global oil benchmarks are diverging as a result.

- Date: 2018-05-31 · published 2018-05-31T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region Canada · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/65179-explaining-the-double-digit-wti-discount-oilprice-com
- Commodities: [Crude Oil (WTI)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WTI.md)

## Why it matters

Pipeline bottlenecks push regional crude prices apart, which weakens the link between WTI and global benchmarks. This affects energy hedging costs for buyers more than direct feed supply.

## Read by commodity

- WTI: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WTI | 2017-12-01 | [Transportation constraints and export costs widen the Brent-WTI crude oil price spread](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68167-transportation-constraints-and-export-costs-widen-the-brent-wti-crude-oil-price.md) | -1.5% | +5.3% |
| WTI | 2020-04-21 | [Cushing storage hub constraints key to historic WTI crude oil price collapse](https://feedsoft.ai/events/53813-cushing-storage-hub-constraints-key-to-historic-wti-crude-oil-price-collapse.md) | -32.4% | +73.9% |
| WTI | 2017-08-30 | [Oil prices continue downward trend triggered by Harvey - UPI.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/69605-oil-prices-continue-downward-trend-triggered-by-harvey-upi-com.md) | +5.8% | +12.2% |
| WTI | 2025-11-17 | [Oil prices ease after loadings resume at Russian export hub \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/22107-oil-prices-ease-after-loadings-resume-at-russian-export-hub-reuters.md) | -3.3% | -6.1% |
| WTI | 2021-03-26 | [Ringgit falls as oil slumps due to Suez Canal blockage](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48388-ringgit-falls-as-oil-slumps-due-to-suez-canal-blockage.md) | +5.0% | +6.3% |

## Sources

- oilprice.com: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Explaining-The-Double-Digit-WTI-Discount.html

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.