Oil industry ETFs provide investors with an opportunity to tap into the largest commodity market in the world.
Oil ETFs generally come in two main categories: crude oil ETFs which track the price of the actual commodity and oil exploration and production ETFs which focus on the discovery and drilling of oil.
To find out more about how to get exposure to the oil sector with ETFs, scroll down to check out the following list of different types of oil ETFs (you can click on each ticker for access to a host of charts for each of these oil ETFs).
Crude Oil ETFs
Crude oil ETFs track the price of the unrefined, crude oil.
Rather than storing barrels of oil yourself, crude oil ETFs allow you to invest in oil price contracts, futures, and options, which are a much more efficient and safer way to invest in oil.
Oil Exploration and Production ETFs
Oil exploration and production ETFs do not track the price of the commodity, rather, they are sector specific ETFs that hold stock of drilling and exploration companies.
Note that some of these oil exploration and production ETFs may have some exposure to companies that derive a portion of their revenue from natural gas.
Inverse Oil ETFs
An inverse oil ETF is a fund that is short the price of oil, meaning it is betting on the price of oil to fall.
For example, if the price of crude oil falls by 2% in a day, an inverse oil ETF would go up by 2%.
Leveraged Oil ETFs
Finally, we have leveraged oil ETFs, which track the price of crude oil or a specific oil sector, and has a certain performance multiplier.
These can be inherently riskier than non-leveraged ETFs for obvious reasons.
For example, if the price of crude oil falls by 2% in a day, a 3x leveraged crude oil ETF would fall by 6%.
Oil ETFs FAQ
Is there an ETF that tracks oil?
ETFvest lists 16 active oil ETFs. Six of them are directly tied to the price of crude oil and another six are leveraged oil ETFs.
What is the largest oil ETF?
The largest oil industry ETF is the United States Oil Fund LP USO with over $3 billion in assets.
Do oil ETFs pay a dividend?
It depends on which type of ETF you invest in. Oil price ETFs will not as they track the price of the commodity through futures contracts or options. However, equity-based oil ETFs will pass through any dividends paid by oil drillers or exploration companies.
What the oldest active crude oil ETF?
The United States Oil ETF (USO) is the oldest active crude oil ETF. United States Oil Fund was launched on April 10, 2006. It is also the largest oil ETF.