Crude Oil fell to 59.17 USD/Bbl on December 2, 2025, down 0.25% from the previous day. Over the past month, Crude Oil's price has fallen 3.08%, and is down 15.40% compared to the same time last year, 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 December of 2025.

On October 27, 2025, the Brent crude oil price stood at 65.14 U.S. dollars per barrel, compared to 61.31 U.S. dollars for WTI oil and 67.54 U.S. dollars for the OPEC basket. Oil prices rose slightly that week.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 global 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 (where a contract is agreed upon while 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.

This dataset contains information about world's crude oil prices for 1861-2020. Data from BP. Follow datasource.kapsarc.org for timely data to advance energy economics research.Notes: 1861-1944 US Average 1945-1983 Arabian Light posted at Ras Tanura 1984-2016 Brent dated. $2020 (deflated using the Consumer Price Index for the US

View monthly updates and historical trends for Average Crude Oil Spot Price. Source: World Bank. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

As of August 2025, the average annual price of Brent crude oil stood at 71.3 U.S. dollars per barrel. This is over nine U.S. dollars lower than the 2024 average. Brent is the world's leading price benchmark for Atlantic basin crude oils. Crude oil is one of the most closely observed commodity prices as it influences costs across all stages of the production process and consequently alters the price of consumer goods as well. What determines crude oil benchmarks? In the past decade, crude oil prices have been especially volatile. Their inherent inelasticity regarding short-term changes in demand and supply means that oil prices are erratic by nature. However, since the 2009 financial crisis, many commercial developments have greatly contributed to price volatility, such as economic growth by BRIC countries like China and India, and the advent of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in the U.S. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war are examples of geopolitical events dictating prices. Light crude oils - Brent and WTI Brent Crude is considered a classification of sweet light crude oil and acts as a benchmark price for oil around the world. It is considered a sweet light crude oil due to its low sulfur content and low density and may be easily refined into gasoline. This oil originates in the North Sea and comprises several different oil blends, including Brent Blend and Ekofisk crude. Often, this crude oil is refined in Northwest Europe. Another sweet light oil often referenced alongside UK Brent is West Texas Intermediate (WTI). WTI oil prices amounted to 76.55 U.S. dollars per barrel in 2024.

United States - Crude Oil Prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) - Cushing, Oklahoma was 63.96000 $ per Barrel in September of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Crude Oil Prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) - Cushing, Oklahoma reached a record high of 133.88000 in June of 2008 and a record low of 11.35000 in December of 1998. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Crude Oil Prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) - Cushing, Oklahoma - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

The 2025 preliminary average annual price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil reached 67.83 U.S. dollars per barrel as of August. This would be nine U.S. dollars below the 2024 average and the lowest annual average since 2021. WTI and other benchmarks WTI is a grade of crude oil also known as “Texas light sweet.” It is measured to have an API gravity of around 39.6 and specific gravity of about 0.83, which is considered “light” relative to other crude oils. This oil also contains roughly 0.24 percent sulfur, and is therefore named “sweet.” Crude oils are some of the most closely observed commodity prices in the world. WTI is the underlying commodity of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s oil futures contracts. The price of other crude oils, such as UK Brent crude oil, the OPEC crude oil basket, and Dubai Fateh oil, can be compared to that of WTI crude oil. Since 1976, the price of WTI crude oil has increased notably, rising from just 12.23 U.S. dollars per barrel in 1976 to a peak of 99.06 dollars per barrel in 2008. Geopolitical conflicts and their impact on oil prices The price of oil is controlled in part by limiting oil production. Prior to 1971, the Texas Railroad Commission controlled the price of oil by setting limits on production of U.S. oil. In 1971, the Texas Railroad Commission ceased limiting production, but OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries with member states Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela among others, continued to do so. In 1972, due to geopolitical conflict, OPEC set an oil embargo and cut oil production, causing prices to quadruple by 1974. Oil prices rose again in 1979 and 1980 due to the Iranian revolution, and doubled between 1978 and 1981 as the Iran-Iraq War prevented oil production. A number of geopolitical conflicts and periods of increased production and consumption have influenced the price of oil since then.

Oil shocks exert influence on macroeconomic activity through various channels, many of which imply a symmetric effect. However, the effect can also be asymmetric. In particular, sharp oil price changes "either increases or decreases" may reduce aggregate output temporarily because they delay business investment by raising uncertainty or induce costly sectoral resource reallocation. Consistent with these asymmetric-effect hypotheses, the authors find that a volatility measure constructed using daily crude oil futures prices has a negative and significant effect on future gross domestic product (GDP) growth over the period 1984-2004. Moreover, the effect becomes more significant after oil price changes are also included in the regression to control for the symmetric effect. The evidence here provides economic rationales for Hamilton's (2003) nonlinear oil shock measure: It captures overall effects, both symmetric and asymmetric, of oil price shocks on output.

Graph and download economic data for Spot Crude Oil Price: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) (WTISPLC) from Jan 1946 to Oct 2025 about WTI, crude, oil, price, and USA.

The annual price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is expected to reach an average of 63.58 U.S. dollars per barrel in 2025, according to an August 2025 forecast. This would be a decrease of roughly 13 U.S. dollar compared to the previous year. In the first eight months of 2025, weekly crude oil prices largely stayed below 70 U.S. dollars per barrel amid trade tariffs and an expected economic downturn. 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 fell to 63.05 USD/Bbl on December 2, 2025, down 0.19% from the previous day. Over the past month, Brent's price has fallen 2.84%, and is down 14.36% compared to the same time last year, 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 December of 2025.

United States EIA Forecast: Crude Oil Price: Brent Spot Average data was reported at 71.000 USD/Barrel in Dec 2019. This stayed constant from the previous number of 71.000 USD/Barrel for Nov 2019. United States EIA Forecast: Crude Oil Price: Brent Spot Average data is updated monthly, averaging 62.750 USD/Barrel from Mar 2016 (Median) to Dec 2019, with 46 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 83.000 USD/Barrel in Oct 2018 and a record low of 34.000 USD/Barrel in Mar 2016. United States EIA Forecast: Crude Oil Price: Brent Spot Average data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.P003: Energy Price: Forecast: Energy Information Administration.

After some fluctuation in the oil industry's early years, where prices were incredibly high for that time period due to low supply, the cost of oil in the U.S. remained below five U.S. dollars per barrel in the century between the 1870s and 1970s. Due to the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the Arab OPEC states then placed an embargo on Israel's allies, particularly the United States, which resulted in domestic prices almost doubling within two years. Less than a decade later, due to the Iranian Revolution, domestic prices in the U.S. more than tripled between 1978 and 1981. Domestic prices in the U.S. were very subject to those within the OPEC bloc, as OPEC-produced oil was often much cheaper than U.S. oil even after duties and transport fees were applied. U.S. production then fell from the 1980s to the 2010s, and high production costs were then passed on to consumers. Prices peaked between 2008 and 2013, at around 95 dollars per barrel, before the developments in unconventional oil industries, such as shale oil refinement, fracking, and horizontal mining, have seen prices fluctuate in recent years

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Fuel Oil and Other Fuels in U.S. City Average (CUUR0000SEHE) from Mar 1935 to Sep 2025 about fuels, oil, urban, consumer, CPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Average Price: Fuel Oil #2 per Gallon (3.785 Liters) in U.S. City Average (APU000072511) from Nov 1978 to Sep 2025 about fuels, energy, retail, price, and USA.

Oil price swings are less likely to yield major changes in consumption, even among lower-income households.

Heating Oil rose to 2.35 USD/Gal on December 2, 2025, up 0.21% from the previous day. Over the past month, Heating Oil's price has fallen 2.25%, but it is still 6.31% higher than a year ago, 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 December of 2025.

In August 2025, the price for one barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil averaged 64.86 U.S. dollars. This was a slight increase compared to the previous month, although prices remained lower than they had been the previous year. WTI and other benchmark crudes WTI is also known as "Texas light sweet", and is a grade of crude oil used as a benchmark for oil produced in the United States. It has an API gravity of around 39.6 and specific gravity of about 0.827, which, relative to other crude oils, is considered “light,” hence the name. WTI also contains about 0.24 percent sulfur, making it a “sweet” crude oil. The price of WTI can be compared to the prices other of crude oils, i.e. UK Brent, the OPEC basket, and Dubai Fateh oil. WTI crude oil is the underlying commodity of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s oil futures contracts. U.S. oil production and its influence on light oil prices The price development of WTI crude oil relative to Brent crude oil has been influenced by variances in U.S. crude oil transportation and increased U.S. oil production. New transportation infrastructure became operational in early 2013, easing the movement of crude oil in the mid-continent and raising the price of WTI. Since then, U.S. refineries have increased production of crude oil to record levels, also raising the price of WTI. Meanwhile, expedited crude transport in the U.S. put downward pressure on Brent crude oil as domestic crude replaced some imported Brent crude. Between 2014 and 2016, UK Brent prices dropped rapidly, as was the case for all other crude oils.

In August 2025, the average price of one barrel of Brent crude oil was 67.87 U.S. dollars. This was a decrease from the previous month and 12 U.S. dollars below July 2024 prices. 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 20 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.

Graph and download economic data for No. 2 Heating Oil Prices: New York Harbor (WHOILNYH) from 1986-06-06 to 2025-10-31 about new york harbor, heating, New York, oil, commodities, and USA.