The lowered exports of OPEC heavy crude grades to North America are tightening the price spread between WTI and Western Canadian Select (WCS), cutting into the refining margins of U.S. refiners and at the same time helping Canadian oil sands producers sell their heavy oil at a higher price, Fitch Ratings said in a release this week. OPEC has been mostly cutting heavy grades since the start of the production curbs. After the cartel extended the cuts into March next year and after it saw that oil prices continue to be depressed due to the persisting glut, OPEC is now deliberately targeting lower supplies to the U.S. to draw down the stockpiles, which the industry and market monitor most closely for signs of where the global demand/supply is going. OPEC’s biggest exporter and de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, has pledged to cut its total August exports to 6.6 million […]