Crude Oil Price Movements between Fundamental and Uncertainty: Evidence from Frequency Causality Tests

Abstract

This paper studies the cyclo-stationary causality of crude oil price movements using (1) net inventory withdrawals as a fundamental related factor and (2) the VIX index as an uncertainty/financial related factor. It uses frequency causality tests to assess their predictive power for crude oil movements with different time cycles. Results show that WTI crude oil prices had a quick reaction to oil net inventory withdrawals movements and a lesser extent to VIX before 2010. However, this result reversed after, revealing no predictive power of the fundamental related factor while the VIX is observed as a persistent leading indicator with high frequencies over the period 2010:12 - 2022:06.