* WCS for May delivery in Hardisty, Alberta traded between $15.75 and $15.50 a barrel under WTI, according to brokerage CalRock, having traded between $15.00 and $14.50 a barrel under the U.S. benchmark on Tuesday.
* Despite the widening, Canadian heavy crude remains
relatively strong. The WCS differential reached its narrowest
level since last May in recent days at around $14 a barrel under
WTI.
* Canadian heavy crude is expected to gain support from
seasonal turnarounds at major projects in the oil sands and
upcoming summer demand for asphalt, one market player said.
* Oil prices settled largely unchanged, despite
greater-than-expected draws in U.S. crude and fuel stockpiles,
as the market weighed worsening economic prospects against
expectations of U.S. crude inventory declines and plans by OPEC+
producers to reduce output.
* The outright price of WCS was around $65 a barrel.
(Reporting by Nia Williams; Editing by Jamie Freed)
