Benchmark Oils: Brent Crude, WTI and Dubai

Open a newspaper and there’s a good chance you’ll find a news story about the price of oil going in one direction or the other. To the average consumer, it’s easy to get the impression that there’s a singular, worldwide market for this crucial energy source. In reality, there are different types of crude oil – the thick, […]

Clean Energy Puts the Squeeze on Natural Gas

While oil prices have rebounded, natural gas and related exchange traded funds (ETFs) remained mired. Year-to-date, the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG), a futures-based product, is down 3.2%.1 Natural gas stocks are even worse offenders. The First Trust ISE-Revere Natural Gas Index Fund (FCG) is down 6.2%.2 Natural gas, seen as a cheap, clean-burning alternative to coal, is the top fuel source in […]