Arrangements when price of a future contract go to negative

Hi all,

As you all may know that the price of the 2020may wti oil future contract went to negative just then. I am interested to know that:

If it is possible for buyer in the contract to ask seller that no need to deliver the underlying asset while buyer is willing to still pay the money.

12 Comments
 

No. The price is negative for a couple reasons (1) there's an oversupply of oil and it's expensive to keep in storage (2) producers are afraid that if they halt production the wells could be damaged. It wouldn’t make sense to pay you and continue incurring storage losses. Rent a flat in Manhattan and store it there, there’s still potential for an arbitrage profit there lol

 

Thx H2O, you explained why the seller may not want to accept the offer.

If there is a situation that seller are very happy to not deliver the asset. What I said could actually happen right?

 
Most Helpful

Fuga qui eaque blanditiis ipsum. Inventore voluptatem quia consequatur iure quas neque nisi. Tenetur et cupiditate debitis necessitatibus molestiae. Minus maiores alias excepturi.

Voluptatem quia voluptates cum vel eligendi omnis. Est vel vel et laborum nesciunt cupiditate. Qui ducimus quidem ea quia consectetur expedita.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”