Crude oil trading offers excellent opportunities to profit in nearly all market conditions due to its unique standing within the world’s economic and political systems. Also, energy sector volatility has risen sharply in recent years, ensuring strong trends that can produce consistent returns for short-term swing trades and long-term timing strategies.

Market participants often fail to take full advantage of crude oil fluctuations, either because they haven't learned the unique characteristics of these markets or because they're unaware of the hidden pitfalls that can eat into earnings. In addition, not all energy-focused financial instruments are created equally, with a subset of these securities more likely to produce positive results.