Ratio of Crude oil price to natural gas price (click to enlarge)
The ratio, which is said to have a historical ratio of 10, is now over 20 and looks to head higher.
(click to enlarge)
The equation to generate the chart is:
=(1000*’CL Z0′ – 10000*’NG Z0′)
At FutureSource, click on “Charts” and enter the above equation in the cell labeled “Symbol or Contract” under “Get A Chart.”
Here’s the math:
December crude oil: $86.50 x 1,000 barrels = $86,500
December nat gas: $5.271 x 10,000 btu = $52,710
Hence, the difference of approximately $33,790 (as of the close May 5).
(click to enlarge)
When compared to the YoY spread, there is an 84% correlation according to Moore Research. The data on the Y-axis signify the difference in notional values between the 2 contracts.
What does this signify?
For the ratio (quotient) to rise, either one of two things must happen:
- Crude oil ranges and natural gas falls
- Natural gas ranges and crude oil rises
or both!
- Crude rises and natural gas falls.
To keep things in perspective, below is a historical relationship between Crude Oil and Nat Gas using a continuous chart.
(click to enlarge)
Top 2 charts and bottom chart can be generated at FutureSource, a free site.
Crude oil / natural gas spread analysis courtesy of Jerry Toepke and Melissa Moore at Moore Research Center, Inc. This is premium site, but you can try a 14-day risk free trial.






















