NYMEX January 2005 Light Sweet Crude (date, open, high, low, close)
20041012...53.10...53.20...51.40...51.67
20041013...50.90...52.80...50.80...52.62
20041014...52.70...53.50...52.35...53.47
20041015...53.05...53.45...52.80...53.40
20041018...53.20...53.30...51.80...52.31
20041019...51.40...52.20...51.40...52.14
20041020...52.40...54.05...52.25...53.93
20041021...53.93...54.15...53.60...54.05
20041022...54.35...55.00...54.35...54.69
20041025...54.70...54.95...53.90...54.17
20041026...53.80...54.85...53.55...54.76
20041027...54.75...55.30...51.85...52.17
20041028...51.35...52.60...50.65...50.74
20041029...50.90...51.70...50.50...51.60
20041101...51.90...52.35...49.22...50.01
20041102...49.75...50.25...49.45...49.59 <<-- election day
20041103...49.65...51.00...48.50...50.82
20041104...50.72...50.85...48.75...48.84
20041105...49.10...49.70...48.40...49.62
20041108...49.05...49.60...48.70...49.17
20041109...48.10...48.70...47.35...47.57
20041110...47.40...49.10...47.30...48.92
20041111...48.09...48.40...47.25...47.60
20041112...47.50...48.20...47.30...47.41
20041115...46.50...47.10...45.45...46.95
20041116...47.30...47.44...46.15...46.20
20041117...45.90...47.35...45.50...47.12
20041118...47.00...47.30...46.00...46.38
20041119...46.80...48.95...46.75...48.89
20041122...48.95...49.25...48.35...48.64
20041123...48.83...50.25...48.80...48.94
20041124...48.60...49.60...47.80...49.44
20041129...49.60...49.95...49.15...49.76
20041130...50.05...50.40...48.68...49.13
20041201...48.90...49.00...45.35...45.49
20041202...44.30...44.60...42.50...43.25
20041203...42.53...43.60...42.05...42.54
20041206...43.00...43.60...42.73...42.98
20041207...42.55...42.65...41.38...41.46
20041208...40.70...42.50...40.70...41.94
20041209...42.20...43.20...42.05...42.53
20041210...43.01...43.10...40.25...40.71
The grade of crude also determines the price -- a Light Sweet Crude is the best type to refine/use.
It produces the most gasoline per barrel and the fact it is sweet means it has low sulphur content -- meaning the refining process is easier.
A nasty heavy, sour crude is like taking something almost like tar and refining, and trying to get a high content of sulphur out of the crude.
Such a crude might run in the mid $30s but is more expensive to refine and produces less gasoline...