Jin10 data reported on July 31, citing trade sources, that Asia is expected to increase imports of U.S. WTI crude oil in the fourth quarter due to rising crude oil prices in the Middle East, which has opened an arbitrage window. They stated that due to strong demand for high-sulfur crude oil in Asia, the benchmark prices for Middle Eastern crude oil—Dubai and Murban crude—have risen this month, narrowing the price gap with low-sulfur light U.S. WTI crude oil. June Goh, a senior analyst at Sparta Commodities, indicated that the WTI arbitrage window for Asia has been wide open over the past week, particularly noticeable for cargoes arriving in early November. Sources said that U.S. oil producer Occidental Petroleum has sold WTI crude oil to Japanese refiner Showa Shell. One source revealed that this batch of crude was traded at a premium price of about $3.50 per barrel above the October Dubai crude oil quote, with a delivery time set for October.