Oil Prices Edge Higher; Bakken Crude Still Discounts WTI

Oil prices moved modestly higher in midday data on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, with U.S. benchmark WTI crude at $91.85 per barrel and international benchmark Brent crude at $104.72 per barrel.

WTI rose $0.36, or 0.39%, according to Bakken Wire price data. Brent increased $0.44, or 0.42%. Natural gas was priced at $3.22 per million British thermal units, up $0.05 from the prior reading.

For North Dakota producers, the most closely watched number may be the Bakken differential, which stood at minus $3.42 against WTI. That spread means Bakken crude is selling at a discount to the U.S. benchmark. Applying the differential to WTI implies a Bakken netback of roughly $88.43 per barrel before transportation, processing, marketing and royalty deductions.

The discount is a familiar feature of Williston Basin crude markets. Bakken barrels can trade below WTI because of regional logistics, refinery configurations and the balance between local production and takeaway capacity. For operators, the size of the differential can matter as much as the headline WTI price. A stable discount preserves the gap between benchmark and realized revenue; a widening discount would compress margins, while a narrowing discount would improve cash flow per barrel.

At $91.85 WTI and an $88.43 implied Bakken netback, producers are operating in a high-price environment compared with many recent cycles, but the differential remains a drag on basin-level realizations. The $3.42 spread equals about 3.7% of WTI. In a large field, that difference can translate into meaningful lost revenue for operators and royalty owners, particularly when multiplied across thousands of barrels produced each day.

Natural gas added a smaller supportive note. The $3.22 price, up 5 cents, matters in the Williston Basin because much of the region’s production is oilfield-associated gas. For Bakken operators, gas sales can help offset pipeline, compression and processing costs tied to producing oil. A firmer gas price can also improve the economics of gathering, treating and transporting associated gas to market.

The data did not point to a single named catalyst, but the direction of the benchmarks and the natural gas price was uniformly higher. For Bakken producers, the immediate takeaway is that oil prices are firming, but basin discounts remain in place. Royalty owners and operators will be watching whether the Bakken differential tightens as regional demand, infrastructure and market access evolve.

In practical terms, the Saturday midday picture leaves WTI above $90, Brent above $100, natural gas above $3 and Bakken crude at a measurable discount. Those levels support cash flow across the Williston Basin, but they also underscore why regional price differentials are a central part of North Dakota oil economics.