Commodities
WTI crude oil price chart
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is the leading US benchmark for light sweet crude oil, priced for delivery at Cushing, Oklahoma. The chart tracks its US dollar price per barrel.
The chart shows a CFD (contract for difference) that tracks the WTI futures market, not a NYMEX futures contract itself. It is a derivative designed to follow the underlying price on a continuous basis.
WTI crude oil chart
TVC:USOILCFD on WTI crude oil.
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At a glance
| Full name | West Texas Intermediate crude oil |
|---|---|
| Common ticker | USOIL / WTI |
| TradingView symbol | TVC:USOIL |
| Instrument type shown | CFD tracking WTI crude |
| Underlying market / benchmark | NYMEX (CME Group) WTI Light Sweet Crude Oil futures, with physical delivery at Cushing, Oklahoma |
| Quotation unit | US dollars per barrel (42 US gallons) |
| Market schedule | Trades close to 24 hours a day, five days a week, with a short daily break |
| Spot vs futures vs CFD | The exchange-listed instrument is a futures contract with monthly delivery months; the CFD tracks that futures price continuously |
| Contract month / rollover | The front-month NYMEX WTI contract expires monthly; continuous charts roll to the next active month ahead of expiry, which can create small adjustments |
| Data delay | Real-time streaming price from the data provider |
What is WTI crude oil?
WTI is a light, sweet (low-sulphur) crude oil produced primarily in Texas, New Mexico and the wider US shale-producing regions, and priced for physical delivery at Cushing, Oklahoma, a major pipeline and storage hub sometimes described as the 'pipeline crossroads of the world'.
Its benchmark price is set through trading of the NYMEX WTI futures contract on CME Group, one of the most actively traded commodity futures contracts globally. Because Cushing is inland, WTI pricing is closely tied to US pipeline capacity, storage levels and, since export restrictions were lifted, growing seaborne exports from the US Gulf Coast.
How to read this chart
A rising WTI price typically reflects tightening US and global supply-demand balances, falling inventories, or increased demand expectations; a falling price implies the reverse, including rising inventories or weaker demand.
As with Brent, WTI charts track a futures contract with a monthly expiry, so continuous price series must roll between contract months, occasionally producing small gaps that are smoothed in adjusted series. The CFD shown here tracks the rolling futures price rather than one fixed delivery date.
WTI can trade at a premium or discount to Brent depending on US pipeline and export capacity, storage conditions at Cushing, and relative supply growth from US shale producers; watch both the level and the spread between the two benchmarks.
What moves it?
- US shale production
- Output from shale basins such as the Permian is highly responsive to price incentives and drilling activity, making US production growth or slowdown a key WTI driver.
- Cushing inventory levels
- Because Cushing, Oklahoma is the delivery point for NYMEX WTI futures, storage levels there directly affect the futures price and are watched closely around contract expiry.
- EIA weekly petroleum status report
- The US Energy Information Administration's weekly data on crude, gasoline and distillate inventories is a widely followed short-term catalyst for WTI price moves.
- Pipeline and export logistics
- US pipeline capacity to move crude from producing basins to Cushing and to Gulf Coast export terminals affects regional price differentials and how much US crude reaches international buyers.
Why businesses and investors monitor it
US-exposed businesses in transport, logistics, agriculture and manufacturing use WTI as a reference for fuel cost budgeting and for indexed supply contracts.
Energy traders and corporate treasurers also track the WTI-Brent spread as an indicator of relative US supply conditions and export competitiveness, without treating either chart as a trading signal.
WTI vs Brent crude oil
WTI and Brent are both light sweet crude benchmarks, but WTI is priced for physical delivery at the landlocked Cushing, Oklahoma hub, while Brent is a seaborne blend loaded onto tankers in the North Sea.
The spread between the two reflects US pipeline and export infrastructure, the pace of US shale output growth, and freight costs to move US crude to international markets; it narrowed markedly after the US lifted its decades-long ban on crude oil exports.
Frequently asked questions
Why is WTI delivered at Cushing, Oklahoma?
Cushing is a major pipeline and storage hub with extensive interconnections, which made it the designated delivery point for the NYMEX WTI futures contract.
Can WTI trade above Brent?
Yes, though it has more often traded at a discount to Brent since the shale boom increased US supply; the spread moves with pipeline capacity, exports and relative supply and demand.
Why do EIA inventory reports move the WTI price?
They provide a timely, standardised weekly snapshot of US crude and product stocks, which markets use to gauge the current supply-demand balance.
Does the chart reflect physical oil ownership?
No. It shows a CFD price tracking the futures market; it is a derivative product, not a position in physical barrels.
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Sources
Written and maintained by the StandardsDesk editorial team. Last reviewed 2026-08-06. The explanatory text on this page is evergreen: it is not updated with market movements, and no current price or level is quoted anywhere outside the chart.
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