Oil trading hours: when to trade crude oil
Oil is the bedrock of the global economy, and fluctuations in its price can have widespread economic effects. Read on to discover the trading times of different oil markets, as well as how you can trade oil today.
What are the trading times of oil markets?
The most popular trading times of oil markets are between 1pm and 6.30pm (UK time) – which is when the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is open, and the market often sees high liquidity. However, there are more hours available to you if you are looking to speculate on oil’s price.
IG offers CFD trading on spot crude, oil futures and oil options. Our spot times for Brent crude and US crude (WTI) are 11pm Sunday and 10pm Friday (UK time).
Our weekday market hours for CFD trading on oil futures are open from 11pm Sunday to 11pm Monday, 1am to 11pm every day from Tuesday to Thursday, and from 1am until 10pm on Friday (UK time).
Alternatively, you can use CFDs to trade on the price of daily oil options with us at any time during our daily options market hours.
These run from 7.30am on Monday morning until 7.27pm on Monday night (UK time). After this, the market for Tuesday will open at 9pm on Monday evening, and close at 7.27pm on Tuesday evening (UK time). This process is repeated until Friday at 7.27pm (UK time) – when the markets close for the weekend.
You can find more information about our daily, weekly and monthly options offering on our dedicated options trading page.
| Market | Open (UK time) | Close (UK time) |
| Spot | 11pm Sunday | 10pm Friday |
| Futures | 11pm Sunday/ 1am Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday | 11pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday/ 10pm Friday |
| Options | 7.30am Monday/ 9pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | 7.27pm every weekday evening |
CFDs enable you to speculate on the price of oil without having to take ownership or delivery of the underlying market. This means that they can be used to take a position on the price of oil rising (by going long), as well as falling (by going short).
To trade oil today, follow the steps below:
- Create or log in to your IG account
- Understand what moves the price of oil
- Decide whether you want to go long or short
- Take steps to manage your risk
- Open and monitor your position
When is the best time to trade oil?
The best time to trade oil will depend on the current balance between supply and demand in the oil market. Any supply cuts made by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will surely cause the price to rise – assuming demand remains the same. Any supply increases will surely cause the price to fall – with consistent demand.
Other factors will also affect the price of oil, such as the strength of the US dollar or any possible trade disputes between key oil producers – such as the US and Russia.
However, because you can speculate on the price of oil rising and falling with CFDs, there is no one ‘best’ time to trade oil because you have the opportunity to profit from both rising and falling markets. That said, it is still important to carry out your own analysis on the oil markets to help you determine whether the price is going to rise or fall.
Learn more about what moves the price of oil
What are the ways to trade oil?
You can trade oil with CFDs on spot prices, on oil futures or on oil options.
- Spot prices enable you to take a position on the current market value of oil
- Trading futures enables you to take a position on the price of oil futures rising or falling
- Trading oil options means that you are speculating on the price of oil options
Learn more about options trading
This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Australia Pty Ltd. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients.
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