Trading crude oil requires more than watching a price chart. Oil sits at the intersection of the physical economy, global shipping, refinery activity, monetary policy, geopolitics, and financial positioning. A headline can move the market within seconds, but a lasting trend normally needs confirmation from physical supply and demand, inventories, the futures curve, or broader macroeconomic conditions. This guide explains how Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) are priced, what drives them, which reports matter, how to interpret weekly inventory data, and how to combine fundamental information with technical analysis and risk control. The objective is not to predict every move. It is to build a repeatable process for selecting, executing, and managing oil trades.