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-   -   NYMEX & Brent Crude prices (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/103998-nymex-brent-crude-prices.html)

We have all seen that Brent Crude prices are about 10-15% higher than NYMEX Crude.

I hear that till about two years ago they used to be about the same. Nw I have two questions:
1. Why the difference?
2. What stops an arbitrage specialist from taking advantage of the difference.

I hope some expert will explain.

(I may have posted it this afternoon, since I had a power glitch at a critical moment, and could not find it, here I go again)

NYMEX, or actually WTI Crude has on an average been at par or higher than Brent and serves as a benchmark index for the US geography (Though this is also ridiculed). In this decade, I believe there were 2 instances of it going lower than Brent. One is now, in 2011 and there was another time as well, I cant recollect now.

WTI or West Texas Intermediate oil is produced and stored in abundance in the Cushing region and further, it cannot be shipped across the borders due to various limitations, including pipeline limitations. As far as the current scenario and the fall is concerned, they (at Cushing) apparently have very high levels of produce and hence have over supply at this point in time, and as they cannot send it out of the US, prices have fallen.

Now finally they seem to be converging again. This morning the differential was down to under $2. Remember the peak was something like $25 about a year and a half ago.

On Sunday morning I saw $108.30 for Brent and $108.47 in other words Brent < WTI. so @thedreamcatcher; finally what you have said has come to pass.