<p>There is a futures market for crude oil: for example <a href="http://www.cmegroup.com/trading/energy/crude-oil/light-sweet-crude.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.cmegroup.com/trading/energy/crude-oil/light-sweet-crude.html</a> gives a price now for May 2018 of US$\$49.54$ compared with a cash price now of US$\$47.82$</p>

<p>The futures price being higher than the cash price is described as <em>contango</em> and is why there are excess stockpiles of crude oil.  In the past the comparison has sometimes been reversed, described as <em>backwardation</em> and associated with low stockpiles.  For a graph of this over time, see <a href="http://marketrealist.com/2017/02/return-backwardation-mean-crude-oil-prices/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://marketrealist.com/2017/02/return-backwardation-mean-crude-oil-prices/</a> though the relationship is more complicated than described there</p>

<p>For historical oil prices the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has several sets of numbers, such as <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WTISPLC" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WTISPLC</a> going back to 1946</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-13T01:09:54.047Z
2017-05-13T01:09:54.047Z
Henry
<p>How can someone measure the expected annual price growth rate for oil?</p>

<p>Also, where can I find past annual price growth rate for oil values? </p>

<p>Any help would be appreciated.</p>

<price><oil>
How to measure expected price growth rate for oil?
An old man in the sea.
# How to measure expected price growth rate for oil?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-05-12)

How can someone measure the expected annual price growth rate for oil?

Also, where can I find past annual price growth rate for oil values?

Any help would be appreciated.

**Tags:** price, oil

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-05-13. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

There is a futures market for crude oil: for example <http://www.cmegroup.com/trading/energy/crude-oil/light-sweet-crude.html> gives a price now for May 2018 of US$\$49.54$ compared with a cash price now of US$\$47.82$

The futures price being higher than the cash price is described as *contango* and is why there are excess stockpiles of crude oil. In the past the comparison has sometimes been reversed, described as *backwardation* and associated with low stockpiles. For a graph of this over time, see <http://marketrealist.com/2017/02/return-backwardation-mean-crude-oil-prices/> though the relationship is more complicated than described there

For historical oil prices the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has several sets of numbers, such as <https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WTISPLC> going back to 1946


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