MonetarioWatch · Wed 20 May 2026
US oil prices fell
WTI oil spot went from 112.09 to 101.69 USD per barrel on 20 May (-$10.4/bbl, -9.3%).
- Price
- 101.69 USD per barrel
- Change
- -$10.4/bbl, -9.3%
- Date
- Wed 20 May 2026
- Source
- FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)
WTI oil spot, last 6 months
USD per barrel
What it means
US oil prices (WTI) dropped — relief for fuel costs across the economy.
Written in advance by Monetario, the same for every similar move. The numbers come from the data below.
The data behind it
WTI oil spot went from 112.09 to 101.69 USD per barrel on 20 May (-$10.4/bbl, -9.3%).
Source: FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) · updated 18 Oct 2026, 14:00 UTC
Educational information, not investment advice.
Earlier moves
Who it affects
Energy
Usually hurtsEach barrel they sell brings in less.
Refiners, which buy crude oil to make fuel, can gain from cheaper oil.
Industrials
Usually helpsShipping goods and running factories costs less.
Companies that sell equipment to oil drillers get fewer orders.
Materials
Usually helpsChemical makers pay less for the oil and gas they use as raw material and fuel.
Consumer discretionary
Usually helpsCheaper fuel leaves households more to spend on extras and lowers shipping costs for companies.
Consumer staples
Usually helpsCheaper oil lowers the cost of packaging and transport, leaving more profit on every product sold.