Oil Execs Predict Future WTI Oil Prices
Executives from oil and gas firms revealed where they expect the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil price to be at various points in the future in the second quarter Dallas Fed Energy Survey, which was released recently.
The survey asked participants what they expect WTI prices to be in six months, one year, two years, and five years. Executives from 107 oil and gas firms answered this question and gave a mean response of $83 per barrel for the six month mark, $78 per barrel for the year and two year marks, and $82 per barrel for the five year mark, the survey showed.
Executives from 116 oil and gas firms answered this question in the first quarter Dallas Fed Energy Survey and gave a mean response of $78 per barrel for the six month mark, $73 per barrel for the year and two year marks, and $79 per barrel for the five year mark, that survey showed.
In the second quarter 2025 Dallas Fed Energy Survey, executives from 120 oil and gas firms answered the question and gave a mean response of $68 per barrel for the six month and year marks, $72 per barrel for the two year mark, and $77 per barrel for the five year mark, that survey showed.
The second quarter 2026 survey also asked participants what they expect the WTI crude oil price to be at the end of the year. Executives from 124 oil and gas firms answered this question and gave an average response of $80.55 per barrel, the survey highlighted. The low forecast was $60 per barrel, the high forecast was $150.00 per barrel, and the average daily spot price during the survey was $87.27 per barrel, the survey pointed out.
In the first quarter Dallas Fed Energy Survey, executives from 131 oil and gas firms answered this question and gave an average response of $74.04 per barrel, that survey highlighted. The low forecast was $50 per barrel, the high forecast was $135.00 per barrel, and the average daily spot price during the survey was $94.65 per barrel, the first quarter survey pointed out.
The fourth quarter 2025 Dallas Fed Energy Survey was the first Dallas Fed Energy Survey which asked participants what they expect the WTI crude oil price to be at the end of 2026. In that survey, executives from 128 oil and gas firms answered the question and gave an average response of $62.41 per barrel, this survey highlighted. The low forecast was $50 per barrel, the high forecast was $82.30 per barrel, and the average daily spot price during the survey was $59.00 per barrel, the fourth quarter survey pointed out.
Special Questions
In a “special questions” segment, the latest Dallas Fed Energy Survey also asked participants at what price in dollars per barrel they expected WTI crude oil to peak this year if the military conflict in Iran continues through year‑end.
Executives from 113 oil and gas firms answered the question, according to the survey, which noted that “about two‑third of respondents think WTI crude oil would peak at $125 per barrel or less if the military conflict in Iran continues through year‑end”.
“A smaller percentage of respondents selected higher price options,” it added.
In this section, the second quarter 2026 survey also asked participants how much U.S. crude oil production growth they foresaw next year if WTI prices held at $100, $125 or $150 per barrel.
Executives from 121 oil and gas firms answered this question, according to the survey, which revealed that the response most frequently selected by executives across all three price scenarios was “more than 0.25 but not more than 0.50 million barrels per day”.
“Respondents tended to indicate smaller production gains at the $100 per barrel scenario and larger gains at the $150 per barrel scenario,” it added.
To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
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