Articles
Benchmark crude without the textbook tone—written for readers who want context, not jargon.
- What Is Brent Crude? What Brent is, who prices off it, and why it shows up in global headlines.
- What Is WTI Crude? WTI at Cushing, North American refining, and how it differs from Brent.
- Why Oil Prices Rise (and Fall) Supply, demand, inventories, and expectations—without the hype.
- Oil Price History in Context Major crude eras from the 1970s to today—what changed structurally.
- How Oil Prices Affect Gasoline Prices Crude vs refining, taxes, and what actually moves the pump.
- What Is an Oil Benchmark? How Brent, WTI, and other benchmarks set the global price of crude oil.
- What Is the Crude Oil Spot Price? Spot vs futures, where EIA spot data comes from, and what moves it day to day.
- Brent vs WTI: The Spread Explained Why Brent and WTI prices diverge, what the spread signals, and its history.
- OPEC, OPEC+, and Oil Prices Explained How OPEC production decisions move crude prices — and what limits their power.
- How Is Crude Oil Priced? Benchmarks, futures, physical contracts, OSPs — how the whole pricing system works.
- How Many Gallons Are in a Barrel of Oil? 42 gallons — and what that means for refinery output, gas prices, and global trade.
- Why Is Oil Priced in U.S. Dollars? The petrodollar system, dollar hegemony, and what it means for energy costs globally.
- Oil Storage, Inventories, and the EIA Weekly Report What crude oil inventories are, why they move prices, and how to read the EIA weekly report.
- Refinery Margins and the Crack Spread Explained The crack spread is the gap between crude cost and refined product value. Here is how it works.
- How Oil Price Forecasts Work (and Why They Are Often Wrong) Who forecasts oil prices, what methods they use, and why even the best models miss.