October 09, 2026 02:42 PM
Trade oil CFDs with FOREX.com
Start trading CFDs on crude oil markets with tight spreads on award-winning platforms*.
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Go long or short on US and UK Oil and seek to benefit from all market directions
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Maximise your potential with exceptional execution and the ability to trade US Oil 7 days a week
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Understand the market with access to our professional news and analysis
Why trade oil CFDs with FOREX.com?
- Real-time market insight from our in-platform Reuters feed.
- Trade with leverage, so you can open a position with just a fraction of the trade’s value.
- Profit from both rising and falling oil prices.
- We are backed by StoneX, a Fortune 50, Nasdaq-listed company with 100 years of financial services experience.
- The 7-Day US Oil CFD market allows you to trade oil throughout the week, including over the weekend. Pricing and market conditions during weekend trading may differ from those during standard trading hours.
What is oil?
Oil is one of the world’s most useful and sought-after commodities, attracting high interest from traders around the world. Because of its global importance, volatility in oil markets is often high which presents many opportunities for traders to speculate on its future price movement.
With FOREX.com, you can go long or short on a range of oil CFD markets, including spot price markets or as futures contracts with expiries.
Competitive pricing
Oil CFD costs
Trading Brent oil and WTI through CFDs is commission free with FOREX.com. Instead, you’re charged via the spread, which is the difference between the buy and sell price. For example, if WTI (US Crude) is trading at 68.56, with a 2.5 spread, you’d see a buy price of 6860.9 and a sell price of 6863.4.
And, because CFDs are leveraged, you only need to pay 10% of the full value of the trade you want to open. For example, if you want to place a CFD trade for $5,000 worth of Brent, you’d only need to pay $500 as the initial capital to open the trade. However, both your profit and loss would be calculated on the full $5,000. Leverage increases market exposure and can significantly increase losses as well as gains. It is important to understand these risks before trading.
Brent CFDs vs WTI CFDs
Brent crude CFDs – UK Crude on our platform – track the price of Brent futures. Brent is the benchmark for oil extracted from the North Sea, which has a low density and low sulphur content.
WTI crude CFDs – US Crude on our platform – follow the price of West Texas Intermediary futures. This is the benchmark for oil extracted from across the United States. It’s generally lighter and sweeter than Brent and contains even less sulphur.
Generally, Brent CFDs trade at a premium to WTI, because supply is lower while North America has ramped up shale and oil sand extraction. However, Brent CFDs and WTI CFDs have similar underlying contract specifications.
| Brent (UK) crude | WTI (US) crude | |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange | Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) | New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) |
| Contract unit | 1,000 barrels | 1,000 barrels |
| Price quote | US dollars per barrel | US dollars per barrel |
| Minimum fluctuation (tick value) | 0.01 per barrel ($10) | 0.01 per barrel |
Spot prices for US and UK Crude are based on the prices of the futures with the nearest expiries – making it important to understand the underlying contracts.
How to start oil trading with CFDs
Learn how to start trading oil – including how the oil market works and what moves its price.
What moves the price of oil?
Discover how supply and demand factors influence the price of oil and the role OPEC plays in setting oil prices.
What’s the best oil trading platform?
Discover the features of FOREX.com platform that give you an edge trading oil markets.
Oil news and analysis
Oil CFD FAQs
What is the US Crude Oil 7-Day CFD market?
US Crude Oil 7-Day is a CFD product, available during standard weekday trading hours and remaining open on Saturday and Sunday, which allows you to react to geopolitical, economic, and market-moving events outside traditional oil market hours. Trading pauses for a short period on Sunday before weekday market pricing resumes.
When can I trade US Crude Oil 7-Day?
US Crude Oil 7-Day is available from Saturday 6:00 p.m. AEST and remains open around the clock through Saturday and Sunday. Trading pauses between Monday 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. AEST, before weekday market pricing resumes. Please review the Market Information Sheet on the platform for exact opening and closing times.
How does pricing work?
On Saturday and Sunday, pricing is derived from relevant reference markets and other information available to FOREX.com, and spreads may be wider than during standard market hours. In exceptional circumstances, trading may be restricted, paused, or made close-only.
How do positions work for US Crude Oil 7-Day?
US Crude Oil 7-Day is a separate market from the standard US Crude Oil CFD. Positions, margin requirements, and profit and loss are managed independently, and positions in one market will not offset, transfer to, or roll into the other.
Please refer to our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for further information on Weekend and Extended-Hours Trading on CFDs and associated risks.
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What's the best way to trade oil?
The best way to trade oil depends on your individual goals, style and strategy. There are numerous ways to take your position on oil prices, and each brings unique benefits and drawbacks.
Most global oil trading takes place on futures markets. These financial derivatives facilitate the buying and selling of oil using contracts in which you trade oil at a set price on a set future date.
While retail traders can participate in the oil futures market, many choose to trade on futures prices using CFDs instead. These enable you to take a position on oil markets without ever owning the underlying asset itself.
CFD trading involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. It is important to understand these risks before trading.
Learn more about how CFDs work.
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What are the margin requirements for oil?
The margin requirement for FOREX.com’s oil markets – including US Crude and UK Crude – is 10%. That means you’ll need 10% of your position’s total value in your account to open a trade.
Say, for example, that you want to buy three UK Crude CFDs at $8653. Your total position is worth (8653 * 3) $25,959, meaning you’ll need $2595.9 in your account as margin. FOREX.com will automatically convert that figure into your base currency and display it on the deal ticket, so you’ll always know how much you need to make a trade.
You can find margin requirements for every market we offer in the FOREX.com platform, which you can access with a free demo account.
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What is an oil benchmark?
An oil benchmark is a crude oil market that acts as a reference point for the prices of oil drilled around the world. The two best-known oil benchmarks are US Crude (otherwise known as WTI) and UK Crude (known as Brent).
Beyond these two headline markets, dozens of oil benchmarks are used around the world. They help facilitate oil trading by acting as a guideline for the different varieties and grades of oil that are produced.
Different oil benchmarks will trade at different prices, according to the lightness and sweetness of the oil they represent. They will, however, tend to move in parallel – so if Brent Crude is moving up, chances are WTI will be up too.
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