A Ranked List of Top-Performing Crude Oil ETFs

Crude oil ETFs represent a vital segment of the commodities market, offering direct exposure to petroleum price movements. These instruments primarily trade on major U.S. exchanges, providing investors with specialized vehicles for energy market participation. Although volatile, crude oil ETFs serve as essential tools for portfolio diversification and inflation hedging in today’s energy-centric economy.

Leading crude oil ETFs deliver more than simple price tracking; they employ sophisticated futures strategies. The core advantages of investing in these specialized funds include:

• Strategic market access: Direct participation in oil price movements without physical commodity ownership.
• Portfolio diversification: Historically low correlation (0.1-0.3) with traditional equity markets.
• Roll yield optimization: Advanced contract rolling methodologies to minimize contango impacts.

The pioneering role of key funds demonstrates their significance: United States Oil Fund (USO) manages over $1.3 billion in assets and trades approximately 5 million shares daily. Front-month contract ETFs like this account for 65% of all oil ETF trading volume! Investing through these instruments thus provides efficient exposure to petroleum markets that drive global transportation and manufacturing sectors.

Top-performing funds feature innovative structures to combat contango. United States 12 Month Oil Fund (USL) spreads contracts across 12 months while Invesco Optimum Yield ETF (DBO) actively selects optimal contract months. These strategies helped DBO achieve 8.5% annualized returns over 5 years despite oil market volatility. This performance explains why oil ETFs attracted over $4.2 billion inflows during recent energy rallies. As “volatility capture” instruments, the category demonstrates significant event sensitivity: During supply shocks like the 2022 Ukraine invasion, USO gained 40% in 30 trading days while broader markets fell. Additional options include leveraged ETFs like UCO (2x daily long) international funds like BNO (Brent crude), and equity hybrids featuring oil producers for dividend income.

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The following table contains a ranked selection of top-performing crude oil ETFs for this year, ordered by risk-adjusted returns and liquidity metrics. These futures-based funds primarily trade on U.S. exchanges and track benchmark oil price indices. All presented data (current price, expense ratio, open interest) undergo daily recalibration to reflect real-time market conditions and net asset values.