Forex Trading

West Texas Intermediate WTI: Definition and Use As a Benchmark

2024-03-27

what is wti

It should also be noted that the API gravity of WTI (West Texas Intermediate) is around 39.6° and its specific density is 0.827. WTI is the underlying commodity Business Secrets from the Bible of the New York Mercantile Exchange’s (NYMEX) oil futures contract. It contains less than 0.50% sulfur, whereas the norm is about 0.24% to 0.34%, making it “sweet.” It also has a low density, making it “light.” Brent is the reference for about 80% of the oil traded around the world, with WTI the dominant benchmark in the U.S. and Dubai influential in the Asian market.

Most of the time, the WTI is refined directly in the United States, mainly in the Midwest and near the Gulf Coast for practical reasons as the production sites are nearby. West Texas Intermediate plays an important role in managing risk in the energy sector worldwide as it has high liquidity, a large number of customers, and a lot of transparency. WTI only contains 0.24% sulfur and has an API gravity of approximately 39.6. The oil is primarily refined in the Gulf Coast and Midwest areas of the United States.

Understanding West Texas Intermediate (WTI)

In 2023, the U.S. imported about 8.51 million barrels per day of petroleum products from 86 countries. The same year, it exported about 10.15 million barrels of petroleum to 173 countries and three U.S. territories. WTI has a sulfur content between 0.24% and 0.34%, whereas Brent has a sulfur content between 0.35% to 0.40%.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is a grade or mix of crude oil; the term is also used to refer to the spot price, the futures price, or assessed price for that oil. In colloquial usage, WTI usually refers to the WTI Crude Oil futures contract traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). Oil produced from any location can be considered WTI if the oil meets the required qualifications.[2] Spot and futures prices of WTI are used as a benchmark in oil pricing. This grade is described as light crude oil because of its low density and sweet because of its low sulfur content. Crude oil as a commodity, its futures are the world’s most actively traded commodity. Such as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the average monthly price of oil rose from $17 per barrel in July to $36 per barrel in October.

Low-density, or “light” crude is generally favorable to the high-density variety for the same reason. WTI crude futures and options are the world’s most actively traded energy product. WTI crude futures are also traded on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) with the symbol T and priced in dollars and cents per barrel. Theoretically, WTI crude should trade at a premium to Brent crude, given the quality, but this is not always the case.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is a grade of crude oil and one of the main three benchmarks in oil pricing, along with Brent and Dubai Crude. In addition to futures, market participants can also invest in options that are linked to a particular crude benchmark. Should the value of a certain crude marker skyrocket, the owner of a call option would have the right— though not the obligation—to buy a specific number of barrels at a pre-determined price. There are different types of crude oil—the thick, unprocessed liquid that drillers extract below the earth—and some are more desirable than others. For instance, it’s easier for refiners to make gasoline and diesel fuel out of low-sulfur or “sweet” crude than oil with high-sulfur concentrations.

WTI crude oil as a trade grade

WTI refers to oil extracted from wells in the U.S. and sent https://forexanalytics.info/ via pipeline to Cushing, Oklahoma. The fact that supplies are land-locked is one of the drawbacks to West Texas crude as it’s relatively expensive to ship to certain parts of the globe. The product itself is very light and very sweet, making it ideal for gasoline refining, in particular. WTI continues to be the main benchmark for oil consumed in the United States.

] local trade between oilfield production and refineries around Midland, Texas, and Cushing, Oklahoma, could be said[by whom? Measurements of lightness and sweetness of WTI changes depending on the particular light and sweet oil traded at Cushing at the time of the measurement, and even the particular measurement methodology. West Texas Intermediate, more generally represented by the initials WTI, is also sometimes called Texas Light Sweet by certain brokers. It is actually a type of crude oil used by the economists as a standard value to determine the crude oil price as a commodity on the exchange markets, within the framework of futures contracts. This quotation is priced on the New York Mercantile Exchange, which is the principal world commodities exchange.

What is ‘West Texas Intermediate’?

Because crude oil is needed to manufacture other primary materials, it is the world’s most important commodity. The US investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates the proportion of crude oil used for primary materials production to be 45 per cent. Open a newspaper and there’s a good chance you’ll find a news story about the price of oil going in one direction or the other. As such, there are a few different classifications of crude oil, each that serves as a different financial benchmark for the substance. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) controls most of the oil production and distribution, often dictating costs for not only oil suppliers but countries as well. Most nations factor oil prices into their budgets, so OPEC has been considered a leading geopolitical force.

When you hear a reference to crude oil prices in a business report, it’s the price of West Texas Intermediate that is being quoted. WTI is the underlying commodity of Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s oil futures contracts (legally binding agreements to buy/sell a commodity at a specific month at a pre-determined price). Because of these factors, buyers of crude oil—along with speculators—need an easy way to value the commodity based on its quality and location.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI)

Dollar more than that of Brent oil which is heavier and therefore less easy to refine. Furthermore, transporting WTI overseas to Brent crude’s market can be costly, making it difficult for WTI to compete with Brent crude in terms of pricing. The price of WTI is quoted on the NYMEX, or New York Mercantile Exchange, which is the American market where all the commodities are quoted.

  1. The lower the sulfur content of an oil, the easier it is to refine, making it more desirable to producers.
  2. Like traditional oil options, these “spread options” are available on major exchanges.
  3. ] local trade between oilfield production and refineries around Midland, Texas, and Cushing, Oklahoma, could be said[by whom?
  4. More technically, WTI oil has an API density of 39.6 and a specific density of around 0.827.
  5. Most of the time, the WTI is refined directly in the United States, mainly in the Midwest and near the Gulf Coast for practical reasons as the production sites are nearby.

There are three major types of crude oil throughout the world that are used as oil reference prices according to their production zones. Therefore, for European oil, Brent from the North Sea acts as the reference, whereas for the OPEC countries, it is the Dubai crude which is referred to for the price determination. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is a trading classification of crude oil and one of the most commonly used benchmarks in oil prices.

what is wti

References

One of the characteristics of the WTI crude oil is that it is much lighter than Brent. It is also called Texas Light Sweet because of its low sulfur content (0.24%), which makes of it a sweet crude oil. More technically, WTI oil has an API density of 39.6 and a specific density of around 0.827.

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