WTI vs. USO

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about W&T Offshore, Inc. (WTI) and United States Oil Fund LP (USO).

USO is a passively managed fund by Concierge Technologies that tracks the performance of the Front Month Light Sweet Crude Oil. It was launched on Apr 10, 2006.

Performance

WTI vs. USO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in W&T Offshore, Inc. (WTI) and United States Oil Fund LP (USO). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

WTI vs. USO - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
WTI W&T Offshore, Inc.	85.28%	0.62%	-48.17%	-41.41%	72.76%	48.85%	-60.97%	34.95%	24.47%	19.49%
USO United States Oil Fund LP	79.42%	-8.46%	13.35%	-4.94%	28.97%	64.68%	-67.79%	32.61%	-19.57%	2.47%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, WTI achieves a 85.28% return, which is significantly higher than USO's 79.42% return. Over the past 10 years, WTI has underperformed USO with an annualized return of 4.17%, while USO has yielded a comparatively higher 5.22% annualized return.

WTI

• 1D: -11.73%
• 1M: 0.67%
• YTD: 85.28%
• 6M: 60.62%
• 1Y: 110.60%
• 3Y*: -14.64%
• 5Y*: -3.63%
• 10Y*: 4.17%

USO

• 1D: -2.48%
• 1M: 42.32%
• YTD: 79.42%
• 6M: 69.66%
• 1Y: 60.99%
• 3Y*: 23.15%
• 5Y*: 24.29%
• 10Y*: 5.22%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

WTI vs. USO — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

WTI

WTI Risk / Return Rank: 79
WTI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 82
WTI Sortino Ratio Rank: 81
WTI Omega Ratio Rank: 77
WTI Calmar Ratio Rank: 81
WTI Martin Ratio Rank: 75

USO

USO Risk / Return Rank: 75
USO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 80
USO Sortino Ratio Rank: 82
USO Omega Ratio Rank: 74
USO Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
USO Martin Ratio Rank: 51

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

WTI vs. USO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for W&T Offshore, Inc. (WTI) and United States Oil Fund LP (USO). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	WTI	USO	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.42	1.56	-0.13
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.20	2.22	-0.02
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.27	1.28	-0.02
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.45	2.97	-0.52
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.67	5.14	-0.46
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

WTI vs. USO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current WTI Sharpe Ratio is 1.42, which is comparable to the USO Sharpe Ratio of 1.56. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of WTI and USO, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	WTI	USO	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.42	1.56	-0.13
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.05	0.71	-0.76
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.06	0.14	-0.08
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.10	-0.19	+0.10

Correlation

The correlation between WTI and USO is 0.56, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

WTI vs. USO - Dividend Comparison

WTI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.33%, while USO has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023
WTI W&T Offshore, Inc.	1.33%	2.45%	2.41%	0.31%
USO United States Oil Fund LP	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

WTI vs. USO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum WTI drawdown since its inception was -97.59%, roughly equal to the maximum USO drawdown of -98.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for WTI and USO.

Drawdown Indicators

	WTI	USO	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-97.59%	-98.19%	+0.60%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-40.17%	-20.39%	-19.78%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-87.31%	-36.23%	-51.08%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-88.92%	-86.75%	-2.17%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-93.00%	-86.80%	-6.20%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-73.93%	-75.21%	+1.28%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	21.06%	11.77%	+9.29%

Volatility

WTI vs. USO - Volatility Comparison

W&T Offshore, Inc. (WTI) has a higher volatility of 36.76% compared to United States Oil Fund LP (USO) at 22.21%. This indicates that WTI's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than USO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	WTI	USO	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	36.76%	22.21%	+14.55%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	61.17%	29.81%	+31.36%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	78.34%	39.35%	+38.99%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	66.94%	34.40%	+32.54%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	72.46%	38.33%	+34.13%