New York — Better margins have US Atlantic Coast refiners buying more Bakken, as exports of the North Dakota crude appear to have tapered off and the grade’s discount widened, an analysis from S&P Global Platts showed June 15.. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now The USAC cracking margin for Bakken averaged $2.84/b for the week ended June 12, compared with the 34 cents/b the week earlier, S&P Global Platts Analytics data showed. So far in the second quarter, USAC Bakken cracking margins are averaging $1.10/b, well below the $14.13/b in Q2 2019. Weaker margins seen early in the second quarter were attributed to higher export demand for Bakken, particularly into China, which increased the crude’s value. Bakken’s differential to WTI ex-Clearbrook rose to a 55 cent/b premium on average over May, Platts data shows, up from minus $9/b in April. At that […]