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10 March
This might be the best way to invest in oil stocks right now

Deep Dive

Opinions on where oil prices are headed from here could be an important decision driver right now

A focus on free cash flow could be lucrative for investors, if oil prices remain moderately higher than they were in 2025.
A focus on free cash flow could be lucrative for investors if oil prices remain moderately higher than they were in 2025. Photo: MarketWatch illustration/iStockphoto

Following yesterday’s spike and late-day fizzling of oil prices, it is time to look back at the action over the past year and consider whether or not oil and natural-gas companies remain in a position to increase their cash flow in a big way.

On Monday, prices for the continuous front-month contract for West Texas Intermediate crude oil CL00 on the New York Mercantile Exchange shot up as high as $119.48 a barrel, before settling at $94.77.