Three benchmark grades, one production cartel, US shale, and a US strategic reserve together set the oil price that drives inflation, trade balances and geopolitics.
The US hydraulic-fracturing industry that lifted America to the world's top crude producer and acts as the global swing supply that caps oil-price spikes.
full dossier ›The US crude oil benchmark priced at Cushing, Oklahoma, underpinning North American energy markets and influencing government budgets and inflation worldwide.
EIA sees crude slipping from a ~13.5m bpd record toward ~13.3m as Permian growth stalls; Baker Hughes oil rigs near 442, the fewest in years, with Permian breakevens up to ~$67
Dallas Fed E&P bosses see WTI ~$74 at year-end against new-well breakevens near $67, a thin margin that tightens as core inventory depletes and service costs climb