Canadian Crude Index

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The Canadian Crude Oil Index (CCI) serves as a benchmark for oil produced in Canada. [1] It allows investors to track the price, risk, and volatility of the Canadian commodity. [1]

The CCI was launched by Auspice Capital Advisors in 2014. [2] The Index moved from a day end posting to live in January 2016. [1] The CCI can be used to identify opportunities to speculate outright on the price of Canadian crude oil or in conjunction with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to put on a spread trade which could represent the differential between the two. [3]

Currently,[ when? ] western Canadian oil trades at a discount to WTI. Western Canadian Oil from the Athabasca tar sands is a heavier blend and more difficult to refine. This, as well as its landlocked location and transportation constraints, contribute to the discount. [3] The CCI provides a fixed price reference for Canadian Crude Oil and provides an accessible and transparent index to serve as a benchmark to build investable products upon, and could ultimately increase its demand to global markets. [3] Other heavy sour crudes, like the Mexican Maya blend, currently trade at a premium to WTI. [4]

The CCI targets an exposure that represents a three-month rolling position in crude oil. [5] To create a price representative of Canadian crude the index uses two futures contracts: A fixed price contract, which represents the price of crude oil at Cushing, Oklahoma, and a basis differential contract, which represents the difference in price between Cushing and Canada. [5] Both contracts are priced in U.S. dollars per barrel. Together, these create a fixed price for Canadian crude oil.

The Index value is determined by its third-party calculation and publication agent, the NYSE Global Index Group, based on daily returns of prices published by ICE Futures Europe. [5]

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