Crude oil prices: time spent above and below $50 – chart: EnerCom Analytics The current price of oil may feel low given the fading memories of $100 per barrel oil back in 2014. But in a longer term historical context, we are on the high end of the curve at today’s prices. EnerCom Analytics looked at historical monthly crude oil prices between 1974 and August 2016. The chart shows the histogram of prices for three time periods—1974 to 2016, 1990 to 2016 and 2008 to 2016, with the closing West Texas Intermediate crude oil (WTI) price on September 8, 2016 of $47.32 marked for comparison. The chart shows duration in months for every $5 price increment between $10 per barrel and $115+ per barrel. July 2005 was the first time that U.S. oil prices hit the $50 […]