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Light Sweet Crude Oil (WTI) Futures
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Description

Light Sweet Crude Oil (Physical) futures are an outright crude oil contract between a buyer and seller. The contracts also serve as a key international pricing benchmark.
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Light Sweet Crude Oil Futures
Product Symbol CL
Venue CME Globex, CME ClearPort, Open Outcry (New York)
Hours
(All Times are New York Time/ET)		 CME Globex Sunday - Friday 6:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. New York time/ET (5:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Chicago Time/CT) with a 45-minute break each day beginning at 5:15 p.m. (4:15 p.m. CT)
CME ClearPort Sunday – Friday 6:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. (5:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Chicago Time/CT) with a 45-minute break each day beginning at 5:15 p.m. (4:15 p.m. CT)
Open Outcry Monday – Friday 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM (8:00 AM to 1:30 PM CT)
Contract Unit 1,000 barrels
Price Quotation U.S. Dollars and Cents per barrel
Minimum Fluctuation $0.01per barrel
Maximum Daily Price Fluctuation Initial Price Fluctuation Limits for All Contract Months. At the commencement of each trading day, there shall be price fluctuation limits in effect for each contract month of this futures contract of $10.00 per barrel above or below the previous day's settlement price for such contract month. If a market for any of the first three (3) contract months is bid or offered at the upper or lower price fluctuation limit, as applicable, on Globex it will be considered a Triggering Event which will halt trading for a five (5) minute period in all contract months of the CL futures contract, as well as all contract months in all products cited in the Associated Products Appendix of rule 200.06. Trading in any option related to this contract or in an option contract related to any products cited in the Associated Products Appendix which may be available for trading on either Globex or on the Trading Floor shall additionally be subject to a coordinated trading halt.
Termination of Trading Trading in the current delivery month shall cease on the third business day prior to the twenty-fifth calendar day of the month preceding the delivery month. If the twenty-fifth calendar day of the month is a non-business day, trading shall cease on the third business day prior to the last business day preceding the twenty-fifth calendar day. In the event that the official Exchange holiday schedule changes subsequent to the listing of a Crude Oil futures, the originally listed expiration date shall remain in effect. In the event that the originally listed expiration day is declared a holiday, expiration will move to the business day immediately prior.
Listed Contracts Crude oil futures are listed nine years forward using the following listing schedule: consecutive months are listed for the current year and the next five years; in addition, the June and December contract months are listed beyond the sixth year. Additional months will be added on an annual basis after the December contract expires, so that an additional June and December contract would be added nine years forward, and the consecutive months in the sixth calendar year will be filled in.

Additionally, trading can be executed at an average differential to the previous day's settlement prices for periods of two to 30 consecutive months in a single transaction. These calendar strips are executed during open outcry trading hours.
Settlement Type Physical
Settlement Procedure Daily NYMEX Energy Futures Settlement Procedure (PDF)
Final NYMEX Energy Futures Settlement Procedure (PDF)
Trading at Settlement (TAS) Trading at settlement is available for spot (except on the last trading day), 2nd, 3rd and 7th months and subject to the existing TAS rules. Trading in all TAS products will cease daily at 2:30 PM Eastern Time. The TAS products will trade off of a "Base Price" of 0 to create a differential (plus or minus 10 ticks) versus settlement in the underlying product on a 1 to 1 basis. A trade done at the Base Price of 0 will correspond to a "traditional" TAS trade which will clear exactly at the final settlement price of the day.
Trade at Marker (TAM) TAM trading is analogous to our existing Trading at Settlement (TAS) trading wherein parties will be permitted to trade at a differential that represents a not-yet-known price. TAM trading will use a marker price, whereas TAS trading uses the Exchange-determined settlement price for the applicable contract month. As with TAS trading, parties will be able to enter TAM orders at the TAM price or at a differential between one and ten ticks higher or lower than the TAM price. Trading at marker is available for spot month on the last trading day.

Light Sweet Crude Oil (CL) spot, 2nd and 3rd months and nearby/second month, second/third month and nearby/third month calendar spreads

No-Activity Periods:
4:30 p.m. London time - 5:50 p.m. Eastern time Monday - Thursday
4:30 p.m. London time Friday - 5:20 p.m. Eastern time Sunday

Delivery

 (A) Delivery shall be made F.O.B. at any pipeline or storage facility in Cushing, Oklahoma with pipeline access to TEPPCO, Cushing storage or Equilon Pipeline Company LLC Cushing storage. Delivery shall be made in accordance with all applicable Federal executive orders and all applicable Federal, State and local laws and regulations. For the purposes of this Rule, the term F.O.B. shall mean a delivery in which the seller:
  • provides light "sweet" crude oil to the point of connection between seller's incoming and buyer's outgoing pipeline or storage facility which is free of all liens, encumbrances, unpaid taxes, fees and other charges;
  • in the event of the buyer's election to take delivery by interfacility transfer ("pumpover") to either TEPPCO, Cushing or Equilon Pipeline Company LLC, Cushing, from seller's delivery facility, bears the lesser of the pumpover charge applicable for pumpover from seller's delivery facility to TEPPCO or Equilon Pipeline Company LLC;
  • retains title to and bears the risk of loss for the product to the point of connection between the buyer's outgoing and the seller's incoming pipeline or storage facility.
(B) At buyer's option, such delivery shall be made by any of the following methods:
  • By interfacility transfer ("pumpover") into a designated pipeline or storage facility with access to seller's incoming pipeline or storage facility.
  • By in-tank transfer of title to the buyer without physical movement of product; if the facility used by the seller allows such transfer, or by in-line transfer or book-out if the seller agrees to such transfer.

(C) All deliveries made in accordance with these rules shall be final and there shall be no appeal.

(D) Any seller delivering less than 5 contracts for one customer shall deliver out of storage at the Equilon Pipeline Company LLC facilities, unless the buyer and seller mutually agree to exempt the seller from this requirement.

 
Delivery Period (A) Delivery shall take place no earlier than the first calendar day of the delivery month and no later than the last calendar day of the delivery month.

(B) It is the short's obligation to ensure that its crude oil receipts, including each specific foreign crude oil stream, if applicable, are available to begin flowing ratably in Cushing, Oklahoma by the first day of the delivery month, in accord with generally accepted pipeline scheduling practices.

(C) Transfer of title-The seller shall give the buyer pipeline ticket, any other quantitative certificates and all appropriate documents upon receipt of payment.

The seller shall provide preliminary confirmation of title transfer at the time of delivery by telex or other appropriate form of documentation.
Grade and Quality Specifications Please see rulebook chapter 200
Position Limits NYMEX Position Limits
Rulebook Chapter 200
Exchange Rule These contracts are listed with, and subject to, the rules and regulations of NYMEX.