The Canadian Crude Index™ (CCI™) was created by Auspice and represents a simple, transparent and liquid benchmark for oil that is produced in Canada. 

BACKGROUND FACTS ON CANADIAN OIL

1. Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world (CAPP, 2014). Over 90% of these reserves are located in Western Canada (IHS CERA, 2013) and are some of the most reliable sources of oil in the world.
2. Western Canadian Select (WCS) is the dominant grade for heavy sour physical crude oil in Alberta (Alberta Energy, 2013). Currently, WCS trades at a discounted price to Western Texas Intermediate (WTI). See Chart 1.
3. The landlocked location and transportation constraints contribute to the WCS price discount. As the seventh biggest producer globally, efforts are being made to find alternative transportation mechanisms.
4. Increased accessibility to global markets could increase the demand of WCS. Other heavy sour crudes, like the Maya (Mexico) blend (Alberta Government, 2013), currently trade at a premium to the WTI.

FAQs

Who should invest?

The CCI was created to give speculators a tool to get direct exposure to Canadian Crude Oil. Prior to this it was almost impossible for a retail investor to get this type of exposure.

Why speculate in Canadian Crude?

The two most common reasons to speculate are:

1. To gain exposure to Canadian Crude oil without the business risks of buying specific resource equities.
2. To speculate on the differential between Canadian Crude and WTI.