WTI vs Brent Crude
Oil trades under two main benchmarks. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is the US standard, priced at Cushing, Oklahoma, while Brent Crude is the international benchmark drawn from North Sea fields. The two usually move together, but the spread between them reflects regional supply, transport and demand differences.
What Drives the Oil Price
Oil is a pure supply-and-demand market. OPEC+ production decisions, US inventory data, global growth expectations and geopolitical events in key producing regions all move price sharply. Weekly inventory reports are scheduled market-movers — track them on the economic calendar.
- OPEC+ production quotas and compliance
- US crude inventory and rig-count data
- Global demand and economic growth
- Geopolitical risk in producing regions
How to Trade Oil
Oil’s high volatility and strong trends suit momentum and breakout traders, but wide ranges demand careful stops. Oil sits within the broader commodities complex, and the same risk management discipline that protects any account is doubly important here.
Explore the commodities complex
See how oil fits alongside metals and agricultural markets.