The Canadian heavy oil differential widened again against the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) benchmark on Wednesday:
* Western Canada Select (WCS) heavy blend crude for December delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, settled on Wednesday at $43.50 a barrel below WTI crude futures , compared with Tuesday's settle of $42.35, according to Shorcan Energy brokers. * Light synthetic crude from the oil sands for December delivery settled at $31.50 under WTI, compared with Tuesday's settle of $30. * The discount on Western Canadian crudes hit record highs last month as rising production outstripped pipeline capacity, while new crude by rail capacity has not yet reached volumes needed to clear the glut. * The differential has compressed as the WTI benchmark price has fallen, but producers are getting a lower price today, notionally, for their WCS crude that they were when the differential was at $50 a barrel, said Michael Tran, Managing Director of Global Energy Strategy at RBC Capital Markets. * Global oil prices slipped on Wednesday, continuing a recent slide after surging U.S. crude output hit another record and domestic inventories rose more than expected. (Reporting by Julie Gordon in Vancouver)