What does Brent crude mean?

(January 2015) Brent Crude may refer to any or all of the components of the Brent Complex, a physically and financially traded oil market based around the North Sea of Northwest Europe; colloquially, Brent Crude usually refers to the price of the ICE (Intercontinental Exchange) Brent Crude Oil futures contract or the contract itself.

What are Brent oil futures?

Brent oil refers more precisely to oil extracted from the North Sea. Brent futures are financial instruments that allow you to bet on the price of Brent oil. With futures, you trade based on the price at the time of the trade, but for future delivery. Thus, as the name suggests, Brent futures allow you to bet on the future development of this oil.

What is Brent crude oil contract-for-Difference (CfD)?

Brent crude oil contract-for-difference (CFD) is a weekly spread or swap between the Dated Brent assessed price and the Second Month (or M2) Brent crude oil forward contract. They trade over a five day work week in volumes of 100 or 100,000 lots and the most recent CFD rolls to the next-week CFD on Thursday.

Why should you invest in Brent crude oil?

As a waterborne crude - with access to global shipping, ports, and storage capacity - it is easily transported around the world. This gives Brent an advantage over landlocked crudes and provides a clear valuation opportunity for commercial and financial traders. The Brent complex has been evolving for decades.