# Transportation constraints and export costs widen the Brent-WTI crude oil price spread

> The EIA's November outlook forecasts the Brent-WTI spread at $6 per barrel through the first quarter of 2018, narrowing to $4 in the second half of 2018. The wider spread reflects transport bottlenecks moving crude from Cushing and the Permian basin to the U.S. Gulf Coast. WTI averaged $6 below Brent in September and October.

- Date: 2017-12-01 · published 2017-12-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/68167-transportation-constraints-and-export-costs-widen-the-brent-wti-crude-oil-price
- Commodities: [Crude Oil (WTI)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WTI.md), [Crude Oil (Brent)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BRENT.md)

## Why it matters

Pipeline constraints keep inland U.S. crude discounted to Brent, which weighs on WTI-linked prices while Brent stays firmer. The effect on feed markets is indirect, through energy and biofuel input costs.

## Read by commodity

- WTI: bearish ▼
- BRENT: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | 2018-05-31 | [Explaining The Double Digit WTI Discount \| OilPrice.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/65179-explaining-the-double-digit-wti-discount-oilprice-com.md) | -5.1% | +11.1% |
| WTI | 2020-05-22 | [COVID-19 wreaks havoc on transportation \| 2020-05-22  \| Food Business News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/53019-covid-19-wreaks-havoc-on-transportation-2020-05-22-food-business-news.md) | +4.0% | +16.3% |
| 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% |
| BRENT | 2022-02-24 | [Grain Transportation Report, February 24, 2022](https://feedsoft.ai/events/42888-grain-transportation-report-february-24-2022.md) | +18.2% | +27.0% |
| BRENT | 2017-12-11 | [Brent crude oil hits 2½-year high on Forties pipeline outage](https://feedsoft.ai/events/67645-brent-crude-oil-hits-21-2-year-high-on-forties-pipeline-outage.md) | -0.2% | +8.4% |
| BRENT | 2019-04-25 | [Brent Oil Hits $75 For First Time in 2019 as Russian Exports Cut](https://feedsoft.ai/events/9609-brent-oil-hits-75-for-first-time-in-2019-as-russian-exports-cut.md) | -2.7% | -3.5% |

## Sources

- eia.gov: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=33752

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