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 crude oil benchmark priced at Cushing, Oklahoma, underpinning North American energy markets and influencing government budgets and inflation worldwide.
full dossier ›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.
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