The annual price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is expected to reach an average of 70.62 U.S. dollars per barrel in 2025, according to a February 2025 forecast. This would be a decrease of roughly six U.S. dollar compared to the previous year. In the first few weeks of 2025, weekly crude oil prices largely stayed below 75 U.S. dollars per barrel. What are benchmark crudes? WTI is often used as a price reference point called a benchmark (or ”marker”) crude. This category includes Brent crude from the North Sea, Dubai Crude, as well as blends in the OPEC reference basket. WTI, Brent, and the OPEC basket have tended to trade closely, but since 2011, Brent has been selling at a higher annual spot price than WTI, largely due to increased oil production in the United States. What causes price volatility? Oil prices are historically volatile. While mostly shaped by demand and supply like all consumer goods, they may also be affected by production limits, a change in U.S. dollar value, and to an extent by market speculation. In 2022, the annual average price for WTI was close to the peak of nearly 100 U.S. dollars recorded in 2008. In the latter year, multiple factors, such as strikes in Nigeria, an oil sale stop in Venezuela, and the continuous increase in oil demand from China were partly responsible for the price surge. Higher oil prices allowed the pursuit of extraction methods previously deemed too expensive and risky, such as shale gas and tight oil production in the U.S. The widespread practice of fracturing source rocks for oil and gas extraction led to the oil glut in 2016 and made the U.S. the largest oil producer in the world.

Brent crude oil is projected to have an average annual spot price of 74.5 U.S. dollars per barrel in 2025, according to a forecast from February 2025. This would mean a decrease of six U.S. dollars compared to the previous year, and also reflects a reduced forecast WTI crude oil price. All about Brent Also known as Brent Blend, London Brent, and Brent petroleum, Brent Crude is a crude oil benchmark named after the exploration site in the North Sea's Brent oilfield. It is a sweet light crude oil but slightly heavier than West Texas Intermediate. In this context, sweet refers to a low sulfur content and light refers to a relatively low density when compared to other crude oil benchmarks. Price development in the 2020s Oil prices are volatile, impacted by consumer demand and discoveries of new oilfields, new extraction methods such as fracking, and production caps routinely placed by OPEC on its member states. The price for Brent crude oil stood at an average of just 42 U.S. dollars in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a sudden demand drop. Two years later, sanctions on Russian energy imports, had pushed up prices to a new decade-high, above 100 U.S. dollars per barrel.

Crude Oil decreased 2.12 USD/BBL or 2.95% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Crude Oil - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

Brent decreased 0.64 USD/BBL or 0.85% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Brent crude oil - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

In 2024, the export price for one barrel of the Urals crude oil was expected to reach 70 U.S. dollars. In the following year, the Russian government expected it to decrease slightly, and in 2027, it was projected to reach 65.5 U.S. dollars per barrel. Urals is Russia's major export oil brand. Crude oil prices in Russia Different types of oil, such as light-weight, low-sulfur (light-sweet) grades and heavier, higher-sulfur (heavy-sour) crudes, can create differences in oil prices. Prices of a barrel of crude oil tend to fluctuate throughout the year due to factors like sulfur content, specific gravity, and location. In recent years, the price of Russian Urals crude oil reached a high of almost 95 U.S. dollars per barrel in February 2022 and a low of 16.6 U.S. dollars per barrel in April 2020. The Urals oil is used as a basis for Russian export oil mixture – a mix of heavy, high-oil from the Urals and Volga region and a light Siberian oil. The oil and gas industry account for a large majority of the country’s export income. Many global sources of crude oil are located in areas that are prone to political upheavals or have production disrupted by political events. Prices of major crude oil blends In comparison, the West Texas Intermediate crude oil price was estimated at 79.5 U.S. dollars per barrel in 2024. Furthermore, Dubai Fateh oil prices have fluctuated in the past decade, having reached 82.1 U.S. dollars per barrel in 2023. Prices of petroleum products fluctuate in parallel with crude oil prices but can also depend on seasonality, market factors, or refining outages. Petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, and petrochemical feedstocks are usually the most relevant to consumers.

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The global crude palm oil market expanded to $71.7B in 2024, growing by 3.8% against the previous year. Over the period under review, the total consumption indicated a measured increase from 2012 to 2024: its value increased at an average annual rate of +3.2% over the last twelve-year period. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Based on 2024 figures, consumption decreased by -9.9% against 2022 indices.

In 2023/24 oil prices in the United Kingdom are expected to reach 66.17 British pounds per barrel, before falling to 61.89 pounds per barrel in 2024/25, and 52.96 pounds per barrel by 2027/28.

Heating Oil decreased 0.05 USD/GAL or 2.13% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Heating oil - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

On March 24, 2025, the Brent crude oil price stood at 73.05 U.S. dollars per barrel, compared to 69.11 U.S. dollars for WTI oil and 75.11 U.S. dollars for the OPEC basket. These were slight increases compared to the previous weeks, which had seen some of the lowest prices in four years.Europe's Brent crude oil, the U.S. WTI crude oil, and OPEC's basket are three of the most important benchmarks used by traders as reference for oil and gasoline prices. Lowest ever oil prices during coronavirus pandemic In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic resulted in crude oil prices hitting a major slump as oil demand drastically declined following lockdowns and travel restrictions. Initial outlooks and uncertainty surrounding the course of the pandemic brought about a disagreement between two of the largest oil producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia, in early March. Bilateral talks between global oil producers ended in agreement on April 13th, with promises to cut petroleum output and hopes rising that these might help stabilize the oil price in the coming weeks. However, with storage facilities and oil tankers quickly filling up, fears grew over where to store excess oil, leading to benchmark prices seeing record negative prices between April 20 and April 22, 2020. How crude oil prices are determined As with most commodities, crude oil prices are impacted by supply and demand, as well as inventories and market sentiment. However, as oil is most often traded in future contracts (whereby a contract is agreed upon, while the product delivery will follow in the next two to three months), market speculation is one of the principal determinants for oil prices. Traders make conclusions on how production output and consumer demand will likely develop over the coming months, leaving room for uncertainty. Spot prices differ from futures in so far as they reflect the current market price of a commodity.

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This dataset contains oil demand, supply, stocks outlook from 2016-2022. Data from U.S. Energy Information Administration. Follow datasource.kapsarc.org for timely data to advance energy economics research. Price outlook dataset link: EIA - Oil Price Short Term Forecast

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In February 2025, the average price of one barrel of Brent crude oil was 75.44 U.S. dollars. This was some four U.S. dollars below prices the previous month as demand for oil was expected to stagnate in the coming months. Brent terminology and most common uses Brent is the world's leading price benchmark for Atlantic basin crude oils. It is used to price two thirds of the internationally traded crude oil supplies and is also the most significant crude oil benchmark for Europe. Brent crude originates in the North Sea and includes oils from Brent and Forties Oil Field in the United Kingdom, and from the Oseborg and Ekofisk oil fields, both oil reserves in Norway. Other names for Brent are Brent Blend, London Brent and Brent petroleum. The name Brent comes from the Brent oil field, located north-east of the Shetland Islands, and thus part of the United Kingdom. Because the Brent oil field already passed its production peak, today the benchmark Brent includes oil from the other three major oil fields. Brent, next to West Texas Intermediate (WTI), is one of the lightest crude oils. With a low content of sulfur, it is ranged among the so-called sweet crude oils. Most of the Brent crude oil is refined into gasoline and middle distillates in Northwest Europe. Benchmark oil prices Other crucial benchmarks for crude oil prices are the already mentioned U.S.- WTI and Dubai Crude (Fateh). They are indispensable for referencing the many types and grades of oil on the global market. In the past twenty years, the annual price for one barrel of Brent crude oil saw a net increase. For example, the average price per barrel stood at 80.53 U.S. dollars in 2024.

Palm Oil decreased 155 MYR/MT or 3.49% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Palm Oil - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

The global coconut oil market stood at $8.2B in 2024, flattening at the previous year. The market value increased at an average annual rate of +2.2% from 2012 to 2024; the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Over the period under review, the global market reached the maximum level at $8.9B in 2022; however, from 2023 to 2024, consumption remained at a lower figure.

The Indian refined palm oil market rose modestly to $5.8B in 2024, growing by 2.1% against the previous year. Overall, consumption, however, saw a prominent expansion. Refined palm oil consumption peaked at $6B in 2022; however, from 2023 to 2024, consumption remained at a lower figure.

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