US Crude Is Lagging Behind as Global Oil Prices Skyrocket (2)

March 19, 2026, 2:38 PM UTC

Benchmark oil prices are soaring as war in the Middle East disrupts crude flows, but the advance is also sparking the biggest discount for US crude in more than a decade as the rally spreads unevenly across the globe.

West Texas Intermediate traded at a discount of more than $20 a barrel to the global Brent benchmark at one point on Thursday, the most since 2013. The nearest US futures contract is close to $97 a barrel, while some grades in the Middle East, like Oman crude, have topped $150 as the hostilities escalated.

That’s partly a reflection of ...

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