From Bloomberg
Declines in open interest of WTI forward contracts seen: CFTC
Shale boom has shifted producers’ need to hedge farther out
The vibrations of the shale boom are now shaking the futures market.
A visible decline in open interest of West Texas Intermediate crude futures contracts for delivery five or more years in the future is due to the growth of tight oil fields and the shift in producers’ need to hedge oil so far out in the future, according to a study by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. That’s because oil extraction has become more efficient in tight oil fields compared to conventional wells and producers have more flexibility in turning on and off the taps in response to oil prices.
The increasing amount of crude coming in from tight oil in portfolios of production firms has left them with less crude to sell five or more years forward, reducing their need for long-dated futures contracts, according to the study. U.S. weekly production has skyrocketed to 11 million barrels a day, the highest level on record, according to Energy Information Administration data.
The Market Intelligence Branch in the Division of Market Oversight conducted research and analyzed data from Jan. 3, 2003 and March 30, 2018.
From CFTC
Key findings from the research:
- As a whole, volume and open interest in the contract remains robust;
- At a more granular level, open interest in futures contracts for delivery five or more years into the future has declined;
- Based on an examination of data available to the general public, data collected by the CFTC, and conversations with industry participants, the decline in open interest of NYMEX WTI contracts for delivery five or more years in the future has been primarily due to structural changes in physical crude oil caused by the growth of U.S. tight oil production; and
- The overall price level for oil and developments in financial regulation may have had a secondary effect on open interest for NYMEX WTI contracts for delivery five or more years in the future.
This report is part of a series of MIB reports. MIB is a unit of CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight. Part of MIB’s role is to analyze and communicate current and emerging market issues to CFTC leadership and the public and assist the CFTC in making informed policy. MIB staff will publish additional reports on issues of current market interest, such as market liquidity and volatility.