What's happening
- USO is closing Q2 with crude on track for its largest quarterly drop in six years as the Middle East supply crunch premium unwinds rapidly.
- USO fell 17.05% over the past month and 4.98% this week as traders priced out war premium faster than fundamentals justified selling to sub-$70 WTI.
- Iran refused to meet US envoys directly while Qatar mediates an interim deal in Doha on June 30, keeping a modest geopolitical bid under WTI.
- Abu Dhabi's proposal for a new oil pricing system and India's plan to cut Middle East reliance signal structural shifts that pressure benchmark stability.
- Despite the recent drawdown, USO's 46.12% one-year return more than doubles the Asset Management peer average of 21.66%.