Contango
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ahJFwqm6WFRM&refer=home
The price of oil for delivery in February 2010 is 41 percent more than for the current month, increasing the opportunity for traders to profit.
( FEB 2010 contract: $60.10 vs. FEB 2009 42.60 )
This structure, in which the subsequent monthâs price is higher than the one before it, is known as contango. Contango trading encourages companies to increase stockpiles if they have available storage.
âItâs not a surprise weâre building inventories,â said Tom Knight, trading director at Truman Arnold Cos. in Texarkana, Texas. âLook at the contango. Youâd be an idiot not to take advantage of that.â
Volume in electronic trading on the exchange was 535,890 contracts as of 3:05 p.m. in New York. Volume totaled 649,999 contracts yesterday, up 38 percent from the average over the past 3 months. Open interest yesterday was 1.22 million contracts. The exchange has a one-business-day delay in reporting open interest and full volume data.
The U.S. inventory numbers âare obviously quite dramatic, but should not really have been a surprise,â Eagles said. âThere are significant issues in the Middle East and concerning gas in Europe, but how long will they remain a major worry?â
Brent crude oil for February settlement declined $4.67, or 9.2 percent, to settle at $45.86 a barrel on Londonâs ICE Futures Europe exchange.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said oil âisnât a weaponâ to end fighting in the Middle East. Prince al- Faisal, speaking at a press conference in New York, said oil âcanât reverse a conflict,â when asked about an Iranian call for Arab states to stop producing as a means of putting pressure on countries backing Israel.