But on April 17, that changed. All quotes are in local exchange time. Prior to April 17, USO's purchasing guidelines were straightforward: The fund invested in "crude oil futures contracts ... in the near month contract to expire (or "front month"), except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case it invests in the futures contract that is the next month contract to expire (the "second month").". according to an SEC filing submitted on Thursday. By using this site you agree to the In the mean time, USO has been looking to enter additional FCM agreements so it can resume purchasing oil futures contracts, but has yet to enter an agreement. Restaurant Curfew: Virus Update, Pfizer Vaccine’s Funding Came From Berlin, Not Washington, Pfizer Soars as Vaccine Prevents 90% of Covid Cases in Study. The company traded as high as $28.82 and last traded at $28.07. 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Data from Robintrack.net shows that the number of Robinhood accounts that own the USO ETF surged more than 2000%, from ~8,000 in early February to more than 170,000 today. Learn more. © 2020 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. “This difference is because unlike with stocks, a futures contract cannot be held indefinitely in hopes that a fallen price will recover.”, — With assistance by Jack Farchy, and Alex Longley, SEC, CFTC examining whether shareholders knew potential risks, Investigations preliminary, may not lead to enforcement cases. In a filing on Friday, USO said that Marex Spectron will serve as an additional broker. Currency expert Nick Giambruno explains why it could lead to America's next wave of prosperity for prepared investors. USO faces issues separate from regulators’ investigations. He breaks down his simple approach to crisis investing. Even before oil fell to minus $37.63 a barrel on April 20, investors who concluded the rout had bottomed out rushed to purchase shares of USO to bet on a rebound. The fund's entire goal, according to its prospectus, is "to reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of the spot price of light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma, [aka WTI Crude] as measured by the daily changes in the price of a specified short-term futures contract on light, … Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only. Learn more. As it got bigger, the ETF attracted legions of mom-and-pop investors who saw it as an easy and simple way to wager on oil. The Gains May Not Last. Despite being down -75% year-to-date, assets under management in USO have more than quadrupled from $1 billion in early 2020 to $4.6 billion today, according to data from YCharts. Intraday Data provided by FACTSET and subject to terms of use. Read More: For Creators of USO ETF, Troubles in Market Began a Decade Ago. The stock had previously closed at $26.47. The USO ETF is … According to the filing, "RBC has indicated that such limitation on USO is a result of RBC's own internal risk management requirements and directions it has received from other regulators in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.". For the best MarketWatch.com experience, please update to a modern browser. In less than two weeks, the largest U.S. oil ETF -- which has the stated objective of tracking current oil prices -- went from 100% investment in June 2020 WTI futures contracts to 0%. 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USO FINAL DEADLINE TODAY: ROSEN, TRUSTED NATIONAL TRIAL COUNSEL, Reminds United States Oil Fund, LP Investors of Important August 18 Deadline in Securities Class Action; Encourages Investors with Losses in Excess of $750K to Contact Firm - USO GlobeNewswire - … When the United States Oil fund isn't actually investing in the current price of United States oil, it's a huge red flag that U.S. oil prices aren't likely to recover anytime soon. The fund said in an April 24 SEC filing that investors should expect “continued deviations” between USO’s performance and the WTI benchmark, in part due to the new restrictions. Read more: 'It works for anything I look at': BlackRock's bond chief who oversees $2.3 trillion shares the 'really simple' 3-part framework that guides every investment decision he makes - and outlines 2 factors he looks for in a company. U.S. oil price drops nearly 25% to finish below $13 a barrel, USO sinks 15 % as biggest oil ETF revamps fund composition for third time in April, Light sweet crude slumps 14% as oil takes another beating. He’s now moved $3.8 BILLION in a tiny niche of the tech sector billionaires are flocking to. Subscriber Agreement & Terms of Use, Such extreme concentration prompted CME to inform USO in late April that it was placing limits on the fund’s holdings of June, July, August and September contracts. Do Not Sell My Information. © 2020 Insider Inc. and finanzen.net GmbH (Imprint). The fund's entire goal, according to its prospectus, is "to reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of the spot price of light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma, [aka WTI Crude] as measured by the daily changes in the price of a specified short-term futures contract on light, sweet crude oil called the 'Benchmark Oil Futures Contract.'". In other words, it was starting to invest in contracts that were further into the future than normal, a sign that oil prices might fall in the short term. That caused the price of those contracts to drop 26.7%. 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