Futures Markets There are a couple of ways to day trade crude oil. The main way is through a futures contract, which is an agreement to buy or sell something—like crude oil, gold, or wheat—at a future date for a set price. Day traders, by definition, close out all contracts each day. Every day, millions of gallons of crude oil are sold and purchased on the open market. Most of this oil will be refined into more usable fuels, such as gasoline, kerosene and jet fuel, which is burned to power engines and to produce light and heat. This oil can be purchased in a number of ways, including at the point The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is the major exchange for trading crude oil, unleaded gasoline and heating oil. Crude oil prices are closely watched by energy traders looking to profit