Crude oil is considered the engine of the global economy and is one of the most traded commodities in the world. Crude oil is generally bought and sold on the futures markets. Two different types of crude oil and futures contracts are available: WTI (West Texas Intermediate) and Brent, known as the "North Sea variety". Due to its very high liquidity and often relatively high volatility, the WTI future (also known as light sweet crude oil) with the abbreviation CL is also known as the "private future". Futures- and options traders a very popular product.
Contract specifications
| Designation | Light Sweet Crude Oil (WTI) |
| Abbreviation | CL |
| Contract size | 1000 Barrels (U.S. Barrels) |
| Price quote | USD per barrel |
| Tick size | 0.01 USD |
| Tick value | 10 USD |
| Daily price limit | none |
| Stock Exchange | NYMEX |
| Trading hours (DE) | 0 o'clock - 23 o'clock |
| Contract months | All months |
With an average trading volume (according to CME data) of 1.2 million contracts and an open interest of 2 million contracts, light sweet crude oil (WTI) is the most liquid crude oil future worldwide. As the name suggests, the commodity is a light and sweet (low-sulfur) crude oil grade from the United States. The ticker symbol CL stands for "Crude Light".
Not only are the futures very liquid, but they can also be traded with monthly delivery dates many years in the future.
A WTI future moves the equivalent of 1000 barrels. This means that a change in the price of oil by one US dollar causes a profit or loss of 1000 USD on an open futures contract. Other products are available for traders with smaller accounts.
NYMEX MINY Light Sweet Crude Oil (QM)
The future with the abbreviation QM has a contract size of 500 barrels, which is half the size of the large futures (CL).
United States Oil Fund (USO)
The United States Oil Fund with the abbreviation USO is also a very popular and liquid instrument for trading crude oil. It is an ETF that tracks the oil price by buying futures. However, due to the continuous rolling losses, the USO is not suitable for longer-term long positions.
