Key Highlights

  • WTI traded at USD 101.20 early on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and just below USD 100 at midday, while Brent traded at about USD 115.50 early on the same day, a gap of about USD 14.30.
  • The December crude contract traded at USD 101.89, up 1.99%, in a market snapshot on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, and the sources give no clock time for that reading.
  • Simple arithmetic on the published rise of 1.99% implies a prior level of about USD 99.90, which is consistent with WTI trading just below USD 100 at midday on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
  • The levels differ because they were taken at different times and possibly on different contracts, so they should be read as a sequence of snapshots and not as one continuous price series.

The Levels Recorded on October 27 and October 28

WTI, the US benchmark for crude oil, traded at USD 101.20 early on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and just below USD 100 at midday. Brent, the international benchmark, traded at about USD 115.50 early on the same day. Simple arithmetic on the early readings gives a Brent premium over WTI of about USD 14.30, which is the gap in the title. On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, a market snapshot showed crude for December delivery at USD 101.89, up 1.99%. The snapshot carries no clock time, and the sources do not state whether the December reading refers to WTI or Brent, so the three sets of figures are not strictly comparable.

Why the Timing Difference Explains the Apparent Conflict

The two WTI readings for Tuesday, October 27, 2026 differ because one was taken early and the other at midday, and the price eased during the session. The Wednesday, October 28, 2026 figure comes from a separate snapshot of the December contract, a futures contract for delivery in December 2026. Simple arithmetic on the 1.99% rise implies a prior reference level of about USD 99.90, close to the midday WTI level, so the sequence is consistent with a dip below USD 100 and a rebound above USD 101. That reading is an inference, and the sources do not link the moves to the Houthi claim of a strike on the Ras Tanura refinery.

Risks and What to Watch

The upside reading is that confirmation of damage to the Gulf refinery or further escalation would lift both benchmarks, while the downside reading is that a denial or evidence of limited damage would remove part of the risk premium, the extra price paid for possible supply loss. Named risks are the unconfirmed status of the claim, the unclear contract basis of the December figure and the thin detail on timing. Prices also react to the Fed decision due at 2:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Investors should watch whether the December contract holds above USD 100, whether Brent keeps its premium to WTI and any official statement on the refinery.

Where Things Stand

The answer is that WTI and Brent were about USD 14.30 apart in early trade on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, with WTI at USD 101.20 and Brent at about USD 115.50, while the December contract stood at USD 101.89 on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The differences reflect separate timings and possibly separate contracts. The next catalysts are any confirmation of the Saudi refinery claim and the Fed decision at 2:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Prices are snapshots and can change quickly, and this is not investment advice.