Commodity
WTI
The spot price of West Texas Intermediate crude in dollars per barrel. It reflects US inventories and output alongside global demand expectations, a core reference for energy costs and the inflation path.
At a glance
WTI: latest value and prior change
As of 2026-09-08, WTI is 93.94 USD/bbl. It is 2.46 USD/bbl higher than 91.48 USD/bbl on 2026-09-07.
Across 678 available observations from 2024-01-02 to 2026-09-08, the latest value is at the tie-adjusted 94th percentile.
- Observed on
- Default comparison window
- 2024-01-02–2026-09-08
- Observations · observed cadence
- 678 · Daily
- Data source
- FRED
A high or low percentile does not by itself make the indicator positive, negative, or a buy or sell signal.
Time-series chart
WTI
2024-01-02–2026-09-08
Long-history series are stored as real provider observations. Index, FX, VIX, and ratio charts use historical backfill where providers expose it; Korean investor flow and margin-credit feeds expand as stable historical endpoints become available.
Recent observations and calculated changes
The ten latest chart observations. Change subtracts the previous observation; intervals vary with holidays, release schedules and missing data. A difference in rates or ratios is not an investment return.
| Observed | Value | Previous date | Difference (current − previous) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-08 | 93.94 USD/bbl | 2026-09-07 | 2.46 USD/bbl |
| 2026-09-07 | 91.48 USD/bbl | 2026-09-04 | 0.00 USD/bbl |
| 2026-09-04 | 91.48 USD/bbl | 2026-09-03 | 0.18 USD/bbl |
| 2026-09-03 | 91.30 USD/bbl | 2026-09-02 | 0.29 USD/bbl |
| 2026-09-02 | 91.01 USD/bbl | 2026-09-01 | 0.79 USD/bbl |
| 2026-09-01 | 90.22 USD/bbl | 2026-08-31 | 4.46 USD/bbl |
| 2026-08-31 | 85.76 USD/bbl | 2026-08-28 | 2.36 USD/bbl |
| 2026-08-28 | 83.40 USD/bbl | 2026-08-27 | -0.13 USD/bbl |
| 2026-08-27 | 83.53 USD/bbl | 2026-08-26 | 1.30 USD/bbl |
| 2026-08-26 | 82.23 USD/bbl | 2026-08-25 | -0.13 USD/bbl |
Source: FRED
Interpretation guide
WTI crude as the source point of energy inflation
This series tracks WTI (West Texas Intermediate) crude futures in U.S. dollars per barrel, the benchmark U.S. oil contract traded on NYMEX. The price is set where OPEC+ supply policy, U.S. shale output, and global demand collide, and it feeds into broad inflation faster than any other commodity.
Supply-driven versus demand-driven rallies
An oil rally caused by OPEC+ cuts means something very different for equities than one caused by recovering demand. The weekly EIA inventory report is the most widely used hard data for telling the two apart.
- Persistent inventory draws alongside rising prices support a genuine-demand reading.
- A spike triggered by a production-cut announcement should not be treated as a growth signal on its own.
- Oil rising with copper leans demand-driven; oil rising alone leans toward a supply event.
A feel for price zones
Absolute levels still carry information. As a historical rule of thumb, prices below about 60 dollars pressure producer budgets and shale economics, while the area above 90 to 100 dollars has tended to strain consumer-country inflation and growth.
- When oil enters the high zone, track whether TapeFlow's US CPI and Korea CPI series pick it up with a lag.
- An oil spike combined with a rising US 10-year yield raises the risk of a longer tightening cycle.
- In the low zone, watch the opposite risks: energy-sector earnings stress and high-yield credit strain.
The math for a full-import economy
Korea imports essentially all of its crude, so higher oil directly worsens the trade balance and import prices. When oil and USD/KRW rise together, the won-based landed cost compounds, while refiners can actually benefit through crack spreads, so sector effects diverge.
- During oil rallies, watch TapeFlow's USD/KRW series to see whether the won-cost squeeze is amplifying.
- Airlines, shipping, and chemicals face cost pressure while refiners depend on margins, so avoid one-size reads.
- When the WTI-Brent spread widens, resist judging global balances from the U.S. benchmark alone.
Related views
Related indicators and radar
Natural Gas
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Checks whether energy pressure is broad across oil and gas.
Copper
A classic cyclical commodity gauge for manufacturing and construction.
Compares oil demand with another cyclical commodity.
VIX Index
The U.S. equity volatility gauge for global risk aversion.
Checks whether oil stress is spilling into risk aversion.