* WCS for March delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, strengthened from $15.75 to $15.10 a barrel under WTI, according to brokerage CalRock.
* That was the tightest differential since May 2022.
* WCS has been strengthening steadily this year as U.S.
refinery demand for heavy barrels picks up following a weak
2022. Market players said the outlook for Canadian crude is also
being supported by the opening of a new refinery in Mexico later
this year and the prospect of the Trans Mountain pipeline
expansion coming into service in early 2024.
"It seems like we're on a good trajectory for the first time
in six months," said Rory Johnston, founder of the Commodity
Context newsletter.
* Global oil prices settled up slightly as signs of ample
supply, including growing U.S. crude inventories, offset
increasing hopes for higher demand after a jump in manufacturing
in top crude importer China. (Reporting by Nia Williams
Editing by Chris Reese)