The word 'wild' doesn't even start to describe the oil markets over the last few weeks. We saw a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia after world economies shut down to slow the spread of Covdi-19. Then an agreement between Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the other OPEC+ countries. That was followed by negative prices on futures contracts in the US. Majors changes to how large oil industry ETFs operate and several funds closing altogether. And then oil began to recover as inventory levels weren't as bad as many expected them to be.
So, your guess is as good as mine in terms of what happens next. However, most would agree that when world economies begin to open back up and operate in some form of 'new normal,' we will likely see demand for oil increase, which will probably send the prices higher, if not at least stabilize them. With that sort of thinking, there are a few ETFs you may want to put on your watch list and consider buying when you feel the mayhem, we experienced over the last few weeks is over.
The first is the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP). The XOP has 57 holdings with an average weighted market cap of $21 billion. The fund also has a distribution yield of 3.05% and an expense ratio of just 0.35%. XOP has over $2.12 billion in assets under management, making it one of the largest oil and gas-focused ETFs you can buy. Furthermore, the fund offers an equal-weighted approach, so it is not weighed down by just a few big names in the industry. However, give the fund a little more risk during a time like now because if some of the smaller firms struggle, they do matter more to the fund than if the ETF was weighted differently. Continue reading "Oil ETFs For When and If The Industry Turns A Corner"
